Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1998/1999
When you're chopping firewood, set aside branches that are too thin for logs and too thick for kindling. Use them instead as the base for this festive holiday place card. Cut a branch (ours are black walnut) into thin rounds. Drill a hole in the center with a high-speed rotary drill or a regular drill with a small bit. Insert sprigs of greenery (we used dwarf Alberta spruce), and position a cut-out paper name tag in the top of the branch, or tie on with colored twine. And don't forget a star at the top.
I've seen plates like these at Home Goods around the holiday time and also at William Sonoma sometimes between thanksgiving and Christmas. Good Luck finding them.
The plates are beautiful. Where can they be purchased?