I love new ways to bring memories to Thanksgiving.
When I saw this idea in a magazine to make 
placemats, with a twist, I thought it would be a nice addition to our table this year. The making of the mats has been time well spent and I think they will be treasured by their new owners as a thoughtful gift.
These placemats will require guests to read the words on the placemat and decide which one best describes them before they can sit down. Of course, the names are on the back if there are any complications. These are a wonderful keepsake to use the rest of the year. I think they are more original than place cards.
First, I made a questionnaire for each person who is coming to our Thanksgiving table to fill out. Here are the questions that I came up with, but you can certainly make up your own:
• I collect…
• I’m grateful for…
• I admire…
• My favorite books and movies are…
• When I grow up I want to…(yes, this is for adults too)
• In my free time I like to…
• Other interesting tidbits about me are…
Next, I collected appropriately-themed scrapbooking card stock to reflect the personality of each guest. I used 12 x 12 themed paper, one per person, as the actual place-mat and several color-coordinated papers for decoration.
I collected the questionnaires from everyone and used a selection of fonts on my computer to create their answers. I typed in one or two word answers, each in a different font. You can certainly use the same font, but that’s not my style. It’s important to pick one or two words instead of whole sentences because of the nature of the layout.
After cutting out the words, I gave a set of words and papers to my children to cut out background paper for each word and glue onto the place-mat. We completed approximately four placemats per hour. We also had lots of snacks and giggling going on!
When complete, I had the placemats 
laminated so they will last longer.
Our guests will take them home as mementos of Thanksgiving 2009.
I hope you enjoy this Thanksgiving craft as much as we did.
About Brenda Sain
Brenda Sain is a homeschooling mother of five who has a wonderful husband encouraging her to be the woman that God has created her to be. Together they are very intentional about spending time together as a family. She considers her daily life with her children as her ministry and has found many avenues to encourage others to live a lifestyle of learning. She is the founder of an online homeschool community, Our Lifestyle of Learning (http://www.ourlifestyleoflearning), and a curriculum review site authored by a group of well-known homeschool bloggers, Curriculum Choice (http://www.thecurriculumchoice.com). She blogs about their homeschool journey and family traditions at Tie That Binds Us. (http://www.thetiethatbindsus.blogspot.com).
