After I made napkin rings for the kid’s table, I had an entire cereal box that was crying out to be used. And since we were so busy decorating the kid’s table, I figured a table runner was definitely in order. You mean, your kid’s table doesn’t have a table runner? Oh well, I still think this is a fun idea.
I think the last time I made anything with cereal boxes was when I was in elementary school. Those were the days when I poured over crafting books that taught you how to transform empty spools of thread into doll tables and how to make a couch by cutting up a (clean) kitchen sponge. I checked out one particular book so often I could take you directly to where it is located in the library of my childhood. Granted, they’ve probably added a few books since then, but you know what I mean.
The thin cardboard of a cereal box is actually a really nice medium to play with. It stands up to paint, looks decent when it’s colored on, and doesn’t make you feel guilty about buying one-use art supplies. (Novelty scissors anyone? I told myself I would use mine for so many projects, and well . . . not so much.)
Anyway, back to the table runner. A few years ago, my husband and I wrote the things we were thankful for on brown paper birds that I then strung around the house at Christmas time. It was such a nice reminder of what was really important; this table runner is along the same line.
How to Make a Table Runner for the Kid’s Table
You will need:
1-2 large cereal boxes (depending on how long you want the runner to be)
Scissors
Crayons or colored pencils
Black marker or brush pen
Double stick tape or glue
To start, cut leaf shapes out of the cereal boxes. Make them as large or small as you’d like. I made mine around four inches long because I didn’t want to have to assemble a lot of little pieces. The leaves are also a lot easier to color and write on when they’re larger. As you start to amass a small pile of leaves, loosely arrange them to see how long the runner will be. You can reference the pictures in this post to see how to arrange the leaves. Doing so will let you know when you have enough leaves and can stop and move on to the next step.
Using the colored pencils (or crayons), color the leaves. I do recommend using vivid colors (like the Prismacolor pencils
Use the black brush pen (or marker) to draw in the leaf shape. At this point, I would also write the things you are thankful for on the leaves. I assembled the leaves first (as you’ll see in the next photo) but found it was more difficult to write on the leaves once they were put together. Some of the letters and words will be obscured by other leaves, but that’s okay.
Assemble the leaves as shown. Using this motive, you can make the table runner as long or as short as you’d like. Attach the leaves to each other by using double-stick tape or glue. I’d recommend using both—the tape to place everything correctly and then the glue to really seal them. Let the table runner dry completely as it will be very susceptible to falling apart when the glue is wet.
Here’s what a finished table runner looks like. Yours will be much better because it will be filled with all the words and thoughts that make you and your family happy and thankful. 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by today. This has been a fun week of Kid’s Table crafts. I hope you enjoyed them. Next week, we’ll be on to the grown up table to make some creative name cards. I can’t wait to share them with you. Until then, have a lovely {and creative} day!
