Dip-Dye Watercolor Place Cards

Our next project today are for the placecards, but the same can be made for a seating chart or menu…and would look gorgeous on calligraphy invites! Alisa of Alisa Lewis Event Design is sharing with us the how-to below, with images from Urban Rose Photo. If you haven’t seen the tablescape where this project came from yet, it’s waiting to be pinned to pieces right here.

Supplies: (for 8 place cards)

• 2 large pieces of handmade thick watercolor paper
• Your choice of watercolors (we used the tubes of watercolor so we could control the intensity & blend colors)
• 2-3 bowls or dishes that will fit your size of cards
• gold pen or calligraphy pen of your choice
• newspaper or cardboard for drying<

Directions:
Cut or tear your paper into desired shapes/sizes

Mix your watercolor pigments in your dish or container. We mixed two to create an ombre look but you could certainly do more colors and layers.
This is kind of a “trials & error” process. Mix the watercolor with small amounts of water and try out on a scrap piece of paper until you achieve the desired intensity or lightness of pigment.

Dip into the lightest watercolor first and let the paper sit for 30-60 seconds to soak up the color. Remove and let dry on cardboard or a drying rack as you dip the rest of your pieces.

Once the first layer has dried. Dip into the darker pigment but only about halfway up to achieve the ombre look. Leave in for 60-90 seconds or until desired shade is achieved.

Let this dry completely and then hand calligraphy the names of your guests or send to a professional calligrapher.

We used vintage spools to hold these place cards but you could easily lay them on the napkin or charger or make custom place card holders that fit your wedding theme.