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These placemats are fun and simple to create. You can come up with your own ideas or follow our directions for the one shown. If creating these with small children we suggest the adults cut out the more difficult pieces and handle the hot glue gun. We used an Exacto knife with a fresh blade as it makes a cleaner cut but you can use scissors. You can trace out the pieces however, we suggest making patterns and cutting around them. Fun Foam has a way of not holding on to the ink or pencil and smears.

Supplies:
•   tan, brown, white and green 12X18 Fun Foam sheets
•   small piece of black felt or scrap of black
     Fun Foam
•   1 tube of crystal glitter paint
•   white or iridescent glitter
•   white acrylic paint
•   1" wide navy satin ribbon
•   silver ric-rac
•   2 super small wiggle eyes
•   3 star shape sequins or make them with scraps
•   Sticky back holiday stencil from Michaels craft and hobby store.
     (ours is from Delta - called: Snow flakes and Sayings.)
•   compass or something to make 3 different size circles.
•   black permanent Sharpie marker
•   piece of clear table covering plastic if making
     these to actually use. Large enough to
     cover just the front of the place mat.
•   hot glue and gun or Tacky Glue (note: tacky glue takes longer
     between stages to dry)
•   small paint brushes
•   scissors or Exacto knife

Directions
Cut 2 inches by 12 inches off the long end of the tan sheet of Fun Foam. Make sure you make a nice neat edge. Save the scrap piece. Cut out all the pieces, 3 trees, house, snow roof top, 3 different size circles for the snowman. Cut one piece of white the width less 3/4 inch of the place mat making one long wavy edge. This is for the snow on the ground, on small piece for the mound in front of the tree and a piece for the smoke. Out of thin scraps make the broom, twig arms, door and window. Plus 1 felt hat.

Cut 2 each of ribbon and ric-rac; 14 inches and 18 inches for your trim. Cut out a piece of clear plastic the size of the mat (16X12) if you are going to use the mats for easy clean up.

Decorating your mat:
With your stencil in place within the top 1/3 area of the mat, add your saying or hand paint the person's name on. white wet sprinkle glitter over it, tap down then tap off. Make snow flakes. Paint in the mountains and snowy background in sweeping motions. Paint should be light - not heavy. Add no glitter.

When dry to the touch glue on the snow bottom, leaving an even gap to the bottom edge and sides of mat. Position all your other pieces as you like but overlap and under lap portions to create depth. Glue down. Glue eyes on snowman and with your marker make his smile and buttons. With your clear glitter paint tube edge and highlight areas that snow would lay such as tree branches, roof top, top of ground cover snow and window sills. Let dry.

If you will be using this mat under plates while eating, your going to want to protect it. Cover - edge to edge, smooth out and glue the very edges only.

Applying trim:
Butt the satin ribbon up against the snowy ground cover bottom, letting an inch hang over each end. Glue in place on the front only. Now do the top at the same distance in from the edge, then both sides. Turn mat over, fold over the ribbon and glue. Turn back and add the silver ric-rac to the inside edges of the ribbon and glue in place doing the top and bottom first and then the sides.