How to hand letter your Christmas place names PLUS free download
I love the formality of laying the table and there’s no better time for going all out with place names than Christmas. We don’t have many occasions that call for it, so it always feels good to make them extra special. With crackers at the ready, a Christmas centrepiece and the ‘fancy’ napkins laid out, all that’s left to do is work out the seating plan.
Forget the plain pieces of paper, let’s go special! I’ve designed a free place name template and to make them extra personal, I’ve also included some tips below for hand lettering.
Download your free place name template here
I’ve laid the designs out on a single A4 sheet, with the faint dotted lines showing fold lines and the solid lines for cutting. 6 place names fit on a sheet so you can cut out or print as many as you need!
I recommend printing them on a heavier paper than your usual printer paper - something heavier than 100gsm. If you can’t find any card, they’ll still look great on normal paper and hold their own.
Quick tips for hand lettering your place names
You can use any pen you like for hand lettering, but you’ll get a better effect if you use a brush pen, or a felt tip with a flexible nib. This allows you to vary the thickness of the lines, but if you don’t have one of these, you can simply write as normal and then go back in and thicken the down strokes afterwards.
My favourite pen is the Pentel Touch sign pen but I’ve also seen excellent results with Crayola felt tips.
The basic, most fundamental lesson of lettering is that you apply more pressure (to create a thicker line) on every downward stroke. Lighten your pen when writing a letter stroke going up the page, and use a heavier push on the way down. This is a really simple effect and looks great!
Varying the baseline of each letter creates a much more dynamic and interesting look. The baseline is the line that your letters sit on, and changing where they sit creates a totally different effect.
Practice the names you’re writing beforehand – don’t go straight in on the first try. I find it always helps to get a rhythm to the word first, working out the flow of the letters and seeing what looks best as you practice. Try adding in swooshes and swoops – such as the loop I’ve added on the K, or the extra loop on the y. These make your letters fancier, which is perfect for a Christmas place name!
As a final festive touch, I also added some gold glitter to the berries of the holly – because if you can’t add some extra sparkle at Christmas, when can you, eh?
Have a lovely festive season and if you do download and use the place name templates, I’d love to see photos! Tag me on Instagram and show us all your festive tablescapes :)
