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Wooden 'Vogue' placemats

You can buy cheap placemats practically anywhere, but mostly they're plastic horrors the size of a ground sheet that bring to mind dining in the Little Chef circa 1985. Check out these cheeky chopping-board mats and you'll see in an instant why you need to make your own


The mats last for ever, don't require any technical skill or sewing and are ideal to make with children (the perfect rainy day project) and what better use for kiddie art? I made these with a friend's teenage daughter, Issi. A real photography fan, she picked her favourite images from a book of vintage Vogue covers so, as chic as they look, I can't really take credit for them.

You will need

1. A thin plank of pale wood, such as pine or cherry, chopped into pieces, from a builder's merchant
2. Lazertran 'Waterslide' transfer paper
3. Sandpaper
4. Scissors
5. A toner-based printer or photocopier (most printers and photocopiers are toner-based)
6. Turpentine
7. Matt oil-based varnish
8. Soft paintbrush for applying varnish
9. Soft decorator's brush (2cm is ideal)

Go to your local builder's merchant and buy a plank of wood. You need to ask them to cut the plank you have bought into A4-like lengths - as I did to the dismay of Rory, who works in my local building supplier and had to cut this cherry-wood plank into 15 pieces (you have to buy a whole plank, I didn't actually want 15 placemats, you understand). Not all building suppliers cut wood, so call and check first. Don't, whatever you do, cut the wood yourself - it'll take for ever and raggy edges are much less likely with professional equipment. Use the sandpaper to smooth away any rough edges.

Decide on a design for each mat. Anything can work here - a photo of every family member for the ultimate personalised place settings, children's drawings, vintage wallpaper or magazine covers.

Print the images you choose onto the chalky side of the transfer paper using a tonerbased printer (practically all domestic printers are tonerbased). Or go to a copy shop and ask them to print the pictures onto your transfer paper. Make sure that you stipulate which side of the transfer paper to print on.

Let the inks dry thoroughly - this will take about 30 minutes. Then trim your picture to size, cutting off any borders, so you are just left with the picture that you want on your mat.

Method
Carefully lower the picture into a washing-up bowl of clean water and leave it for a minute or so. (1)

The transfer will come away from the backing paper in the water. Gently peel away the transfer and discard the backing paper. The transfer is flimsy so be overly cautious to avoid tearing it. (2)

Lay the transfer on a plate to dry. You'll know when it's dry as the background of the picture will turn white. When the transfer is completely dry, brush your receiving surface (the wood) with pure turpentine. Carefully slide the transfer onto the surface.

VERY gently, using feather-like strokes, smooth over the image with your soft brush and a little more turpentine. The image will begin to 'melt' into the surface, so your picture will look like it is printed in the wood. Don't overwork this or force the transfer into the grain - this will happen by itself overnight. (3)

When the image is completely dry, apply three or four coats of oil-based matt varnish, leaving it to dry after each coat. (4) Voila, personal couture kitchenware.

More crafts by Danielle Proud

Excerpted from House Proud by Danielle Proud, priced £16.99, published by Bloomsbury.

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