stamped paper table runner

A long table runner for a big Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to cost more than the turkey! This 14-foot table runner is simply a strip of kraft paper I cut from a big roll. Two years ago, it survived Thanksgiving dinner without any cranberry stains on it, so I saved it to reuse in the future — and this year I decided to fancy it up a bit.

The hand-stamped leaves were completely inspired by this table runner you can purchase from Minted. The leaf motif is very similar to this one (there’s a printable pattern!), but I drew my own by hand on an index card.

I bought a thick sheet of craft foam at Joann for $1.49 to use as my stamp. I traced around my paper pattern with a permanent marker, cut out the foam shape with an X-Acto knife, and glued it to a piece of sturdy foam core for stability — and to give me something better to grip. Michaels only carries thin sheets of craft foam, so if you can’t find thicker foam, you can just cut out several identical versions of your stamp from thin foam and stack them together.

Then I just grabbed a white stamp pad and stamped away! I used Frost White pigment ink by Color Box because that’s what I had on hand.

I love how the table runner turned out, and I’m already dreaming of other simple stamps I can make with the rest of the sheet of foam. Oh, and those candles are fragrance-free soy candles I made in my crock pot. I’ll be sure to get any little wax bits out before I fill it with mashed potatoes next week!