Guest Author - Lisa Shea

Placemats serve a very important purpose - they protect your table from harm, so that it lasts longer! They also can really liven up a dining room area. The best part is that you can customize your placemats to give yourself a new look every time you sit down for a meal.

The simplest form of placemat is a rectangle of paper. Get pieces of paper in bulk from a local chain store. Set out a crayon or two, and have fun decorating!

You can go with a holiday theme, refering to the current season you're on. Maybe create a placemat set for each month of the year, with images that bring that month's beauty out. You can be cute, drawing on locations for the silverware and cups. You can put on a word of the day to think about, or an anagram to test the diners' minds. How about tic-tac-toe?

You can even leave the paper blank, and let each person decorate their own! You could give each person a "starting squiggle" to see what they end up making out of it.

Next, try out fabric rectangles. You can usually get remnants of fabric for very little money. Use fabric paints if you want to add a bit of sparkle or variety to a plain design. Just as with the crayons, you can do a variety of decorations based on the season, the day of the week, or anything else that sparks your imagination.

If you have access to a laminator, you can have a TON of fun with more permanent ideas. Make placemats with your favorite photos. Laminate maps of where you've been, with lines tracing your route. Laminate pictures from catalogues of interesting items. Laminate your favorite actors and actresses. Create "vision boards" that show your dreams and goals, and focus on them while you're eating, reminding yourself what your day was spent working towards.

When you design your own world, the sky is the limit! Take that first step and give it a try!