Easy DIY Plate Chargers From Dollar Store Placemats
You are going to love these super easy DIY plate chargers! There are so many colors and patterns you could use. This would be perfect for a budget wedding or other event, where you want to add a pop of color or texture to your table setting and stay on budget. I’m working on a fall tablescape for next week and I just had to write this quick little tutorial for you.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure statement here.
PLAN OUT YOUR TABLE SETTING
When putting together a table setting, I’m always looking for two criteria. It needs to be inexpensive and easy to put together. I don’t like complicated and I’m pretty sure it takes every last bit of energy to put dinner on the table for most of us moms!
The first thing I plan out is the color scheme. That’s what gave me the idea for this project. I looked all over the dollar stores for a patterned charger that worked with my color scheme and I couldn’t find anything. I wanted a pattern in black and white with a little farmhouse charm. No luck finding that!
PURCHASE YOUR MATERIALS
I found this beautiful shelf liner at the dollar tree. They come in 1.5 yard rolls and I was able to do 3 place-mats per roll. They have many different patterns and colors, but if you can’t find what your looking for, Walmart also has a large selection. Although, the price will be slightly higher there.
I also had these leftover vinyl place-mats from another project. I found them a while ago at the dollar store. If you cannot find round place-mats at the dollar store you can also use 12″ cake rounds. The dinner plates at the dollar store are 10.5″ so the size of the 12″ cake rounds work nicely. There will be an exposed edge on the cardboard, but you can cover it with ribbon and a glue gun, if it bothers you.
At 15″, the place-mats were too large for the 10.5″ dinner plates, so I layered in another (13″) target dollar spot wood charger to fill the gap. Now this place setting was starting to come together. Can you believe it? An entire Thanksgiving place setting for about $8 bucks!
Here is the link for the tutorial for the tea towels and the free Autumn Blessings printable.
DIY PLATE CHARGERS FROM CHEAP VINYL PLACEMATS
TRACE THE PLACE-MAT
Open and unroll the shelf liner. Then place one of the place-mats on top of the liner and trace around it.
Note: If you cannot find a round vinyl place-mat, you could also use 12″ round cake boards. They are inexpensive and readily available.
CUT
Cut on the outside of your trace line leaving about 1/4″ between your cut and the trace line. This will give you some wiggle room when sticking down the shelf liner.
ATTACH
I put the liner on the back of the place-mat, so I can still use the pumpkin side. Peel off the liner backing about 1/3 of the way. Line it up on one of the edges of the circle. You can leave a little hang over the edge. We will trim that off in the next step. While pulling off the backing press one hand on the front of the liner, until it is fully attached. Then go back and smooth out any bubbles. Working from the center of the circle toward the edge.
TRIM THE EDGE
Trim off the edge with a hobby knife. This step is easier than it looks. Place a self healing mat or heavy cardboard under your project. Flip the place mat over and trim off the extra liner. Use the place-mat as your guide.
ENJOY YOUR NEW DIY PLATE CHARGERS!
I love that it adds a graphic black and white pop behind the place setting. I may use the extra vinyl bits as a background for name tags.
Do you like learning budget friendly ways to spruce up your home? Follow me on PINTEREST. Want free access to my printables and cut files? Just subscribe at the bottom of this page. You’ll receive a welcome letter and regular updates on my blog posts along with access to my FREE PRINTABLES AND CUT FILES LIBRARY.
Save this idea for later! Did you know that you can hover over the images below, click on the red Pinterest circle, and save it to your fall or crafts board on Pinterest? Give it a try below.
I hope these DIY Plate Chargers inspire you to make your own version and you save some money in the process!
