Add a bit of festive flair to any table with these simple paper place cards.

Tools and Materials

• 12-by-12-inch paper pad
• Craft knife
• Scoring board
• Decorative edge punch
• Coordinating corner punch
• Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
• Hot-glue mat

Place Cards How-To
1. Cut a 3-inch-wide strip from 12-inch-square paper. Score and fold lengthwise 1 5/8 inches from one side; open. Punch along the long edge that is the shorter distance from the fold with a decorative edge punch.

2. Fold paper strip on score line and insert fold-first into edge punch again, this time without butting it completely to back of the punch (this will create a connected design along the fold). Punch along fold, aligning design under first punched design.

3. Lay strip on scoring board, with length perpendicular to score lines. Identify a "valley" in the edge-punched design, and score paper on every other valley.

4. Flip strip over and score again, between scored valleys.

5. Place a bead of hot glue on hot-glue mat. Gather accordion-folded strip at bottom to make a fan, place on bead, and hold in place until glue cools.

6. Cut a 3 1/2-inch square from the same paper. Using coordinating edge and corner punches, punch all around the square.

7. Score square on colored side, 1 1/4 inches from one edge. Fold at a right angle with colored side on the inside; the shorter half stands perpendicular to the table and serves as the place card. With larger half flat on work surface, glue accordion-folded fan in place, about 1/2 inch behind the place card.

Resources
Scoring board, 12-by-12-inch paper pads, and edge-punch sets from Martha Stewart Crafts.