Spring is almost here, and for some locales in the great United States, Spring has sprung! You’ve put away all of your holiday decor, and you’re ready for a fresh new spring look for your kitchen or dining room!
You can bring the serenity of that bubbling spring brook right to your kitchen table with these super-easy pebble placemats!They’ll make a great addition to your spring floral arrangement centerpiece, and the great part is they’re heat protective! You can even use them as trivets for hot dishes, or if you’re feeling really committed to this project, these make a gorgeous table runner!
What You’ll Need: Plastic place mats, hot glue gun and glue sticks, bags of pebbles from the craft store, and a strong pair of scissors. Plastic place mats are easy to find at your local Everything-Mart, and the pebbles can even be found at the dollar store! We love the sound of that! Pebbles come in a variety of colors and sizes, so have fun with it! You can choose a more uniform look, or you can add variety to your design by choosing pebbles of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Darker stones create a little rustic charm, while light stones create a more pristine, spa-like look.
The Shape You’ll Take
Before getting started you’ll want to decide how big you want your pebble placemat to be and what shape you want it to take. For example, you can keep the traditional rectangular shape, cut into a circle, triangle, diamond, oval, or you can even do slightly uneven edges for a more rustic look. If you’re making a table runner, you’ll want to decide on the width, and start out by hot gluing your placemats end to end.
Arrange and Rearrange
Next, work with your stones to decide on placement. You can place them with all stones going in one direction, or you can create a mosaic with your stones by arranging them in different positions. If all of your pebbles are one color, arrangement is a bit easier, but if your stones are different colors, think about whether you want a random placement, or if you’d prefer the pebbles to follow a pattern. If your shape doesn’t have 90 degree angles, I’d recommend working from the inside of the shape toward the edges. This will prevent displacing pebbles as you work! If you’re making a table runner, I found that it’s best to simply work from top bottom along the width of the runner, and then from end to end.
Set in Stone
Well, actually, it’s set in glue! Once you’ve finalized your design, it’s time to bust out the hot glue gun! Watch your fingers! Pick up each pebble and turn it over. Using your glue gun, make an outline around the edges of the pebble. You’ll also want to swirl the glue gun across the middle of the pebble to ensure strong adhesion. Again if your shape doesn’t have right angles, work from the inside of your shape to the edges.
Display and Amaze
The best part about this project is that you can make a pebble mat for any size or shape you want. The possibilities are endless! You can do this on a shower mat to add a little pizzazz to your bathing routine, add pebbles to a traditional black cloth door mat to catch the grime on your shoes before you step into the house, or make small shapes with smaller pebbles for coasters for your drinks. These mats also make a great statement piece for your coffee table! With this DIY pebble decor, you can bring the tranquility of the country’s babbling brooks into any room in your home! Armed with your glue gun, you’re unstoppable!