An Optimistic Advent Calendar - Day 21

Ding Dong Merrily on High! Welcome to day 21 of 'An Optimistic Advent Calendar'. From now until the 24th, I'll be bringing you a daily dose of Christmas cheer by sharing all sorts of festive makes and bakes, things to see and do and of course, lots of pretty pictures - all served up with an extra handful of seasonal sparkle. So pop back tomorrow for another look.

Today The Optimist's sharing a super-easy but really quite cool craft idea to add a little extra something to your Christmas table.

Chalkboard Placemats

We used a set of old wooden placemats that needed jazzing up, so any that you've got lying around will do. Alternatively, you could buy a set of 4 from Dunelm Mill for £7.99. Our Chalkboard paint was from Wilkinson and cost £3.60 (all links at the bottom of the post.)

Lay down some newspaper to protect your surfaces (I also recommend lying a sheet of cling film under each mat so that they don't stick to the newspaper as they dry) then it is simply a case of slapping on the paint. No need for neatness, just make sure you cover the whole of the mat including the sides. We only needed one coat and it was fairly quick to dry but it's a good idea to leave them overnight just to be on the safe side.

Then comes the exciting bit - the chalking! Keep it simple or get really creative; names, messages, illustrations, it's entirely up to you. 

TOP TIP: Typing 'Christmas Chalk' into Pinterest throws up some interesting ideas for you to copy.

Then arrange them around your Christmas table as you see fit. You could even leave them blank and hand out chalk to your guests between courses so they can personalise them.

Voila!

Wooden Placemats - £7.99

Dunelm Mill

http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/set-of-4-wooden-placemats-325870?cm_mmc=shopping-_-google_shopping-_-%3CSet%20of%204%20Wooden%20Placemats%3E-_-%3C1000038497%3E&cm_mmc=pla_google-_-PLA%20-%20All%20Products-_-All%20Products-_-PLA&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA%20-%20All%20Products

Blackboard Paint - £3.60

Wilko.com

http://www.wilko.com/metal-and-specialist-paint/wilko-matt-quick-dry-blackboard-paint-black-250ml/invt/0189011