Dazzle your holiday dinner guests with a practical and pretty painted party favor, using your favorite seasonal colors!

Rather than purchasing pre-made pricey place cards for your holiday party, consider utilizing the local 'dollar store' as a resource to create an unexpected party favor that guests can treasure and even re-use! Inexpensive tiny frames are often available in various fabrications (including wood, ceramic or plastic) where surfaces are easily and inexpensively primed and painted. If rich reds and shimmering silvers comprise the color duo for your holiday extravaganza, consider painting the frame using a combination of both hues. Border designs containing stripes are simple and attractive patterns, as well as painting half of the frame in one color and the other half using the other hue. If you desire a more elaborate look, consider painting the background of the entire frame using the red tone, then enhance with tiny snowflakes painted freehand, randomly around the entire perimeter of the frame. Placecard names are quickly and easily painted onto a blank piece of paper, then inserted into the frame. When your guest goes home, they simply remove the name tag from inside the frame, and replace with one of their treasured holiday photographs!

The first step in creating a memorable holiday gathering, painted party invitations represent an afforable and stylish ingredient for an unforgettable party!

Receiving a personally designed invitation in the mail evokes a heightened sense of excitement for any upcoming event. Sticking to the color scheme that you have decided upon for your party, the invitation can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. For a traditional invitation, consider stenciling the letters using the predetermined color scheme. If your party is going to have a specific theme (such as pine trees or stars), you may opt to paint freehand or stamp the designs directly onto the invitation and envelope. Consider massing the motif using a grouping of three or four examples of the design together. This produces a more dramatic statement that applying the design randomly throughout the paper. Border designs are simple creations that can be utilized to effectively enhance the appearance of both the invitation and the envelope, creating a customized look. Consider handwriting one sentence at the bottom of each invitation for a truly personalized touch.

Read more about this month's topic: Paint Inspired Holiday Tablescapes