Easy DIY Paper Pumpkin Place Cards

I like functional crafts. I like cute, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t like to spend a lot of unnecessary time on things that are quite honestly going to be enjoyed for a couple minutes and then tossed. Place cards are fun for special events. “Easy”and “functional” were my requirements for these paper pumpkin place cards.

These were definitely easy and since they incorporate a pre-dinner treat (a sucker) these paper pumpkin place cards are functional as well!

Supplies needed to make your own paper pumpkin place cards:

• Darice Nesting Oval Die Set (could use an electronic cutting machine or a template)
• Core’dinations Tim Holtz Distress Cardstock in orange; and a scrap of any colored cardstock
• Small Single Green Leaf Picks on Green Wire
• Darice Gold Sparkle Tape
• Embossing Folder of your choice (I used Interlocking Circles pattern)
• Sand-it Gadget
• Mini Glue Dots
• Candy Suckers

Depending on the size of sucker you choose for your paper pumpkin place cards, you will want to make a template to fit your treat. I used some Mrs. See’s Gourmet Suckers, as a size reference for this tutorial.

Using an oval die, electronic cutting machine or template, cut an oval from a scrap piece of cardstock or paper to use as your “guinea pig.”

The largest size of the Darice Nesting Oval dies was perfect for this project. I love being able to quickly mass produce projects like this!

Once you have your test oval cut, decide where you will score the lines. Ovals are a little difficult to score straight- that is why I made a template, so I could easily mass produce the real place cards once I figured out a perfect template.

First, fold the test oval in half.

Then, set your sucker on the center of the middle fold, and decide how much room you need on both sides to make it fairly even. Then draw lines with a pen or pencil.

Fold both sides up at your marks. You can adjust at this point and refold the oval to make it even on both sides- but still fitting your candy.

When you have your final lines, use the lines to score the real place card ovals. I will show you that step in a minute.

Cut as many ovals as you need using Core’dinations Distress Cardstock.

Select an embossing folder that you like, and emboss each oval. Embossing Core’dinations cardstock adds wonderful texture to projects with minimal effort.

I chose an embossing folder that was a fairly random pattern. This way, it doesn’t matter if the pattern lines up.

When your ovals are embossed, the magic happens. I always love working with Core’dinations cardstock!

Take a Sand-it Gadget, or sandpaper to the cardstock, and lightly sand the surface. The core of the cardstock is a lighter tone of the surface color, and embossing really shines when it is dual toned.

When your ovals are sanded- lay your template over the top of the oval and score right over the top of the test oval. The scoring will go through to your finished oval too.

I used a scoring board and a bone folder. It worked great. I had a perfect line to fold.

You could enlist children to help score the ovals. 🙂

Once the ovals are all scored and folded, you can add the suckers to your paper pumpkin.

I just put one mini glue dot on the front and back of the sucker and attached the oval sides.

Now to add the leaves and curly vines. Simply take two of the leaf picks, and wind the wire ends on a skewer.

Slide the coiled wires off of the skewer and wrap them once around the stick of the sucker. Repeat. Two leaves per place card.

You can arrange the leaves, and slightly pull the coils to make the vines longer for the paper pumpkin.

Using glitter decorative tape (or other tape of your choice) write each guests name with a permanent marker so the writing won’t smear.

Then, fold the tape- doubling it, to create enough slack to make a flag to attach to the sucker stick.

Cut the tape at the end, and remove the adhesive backing. Wrap the tape around the stick of the sucker, and trim the ends into a pennant shape.

Repeat for each paper pumpkin place card.

The oval shape makes a perfect, easy-to-mass-produce paper pumpkin for your fun and functional Thanksgiving table place cards!

Shaunte

Shaunte is a 30-something, chocolate-loving, SAHM from Utah. She has been scrapbooking since 1997, the dreaded era of photos cropped with deco scissors. Since then, her work has evolved into a clean, linear, photo-focused style. Her favorite subjects to scrap are her husband and five kids (never a lack for subject material there).