Summer to me is nice dinners outside and white and blue stripes. And this year, they are going hand in hand. I was in need of some durable place mats for my outdoor table that could be left outside and only look better because of it.  These place mats are made from wood and DecoArt's Americana Decor Outdoor Living paint, perfect combination to live up to the weather!  

Items Needed:

• Americana Decor Outdoor Living 8oz - Picket Fence (ADOL02-36)
• Americana Decor Outdoor Living 8oz - Fountain (ADOL17-36)
• 6 1x2 Wood Pieces Cut At 17 Inches Each
• Drill And 1/2 Inch Drill Bit
• Sander
• Jute

Instructions:

Gather your supplies!

If your wood isn't cut already, cut each 1x2 piece at 17 inches. You'll need 6 pieces for each mat. 

Measure 2 inches in on each short edge (the 1" edge) on both sides of the wood. 

Drill through the wood at each mark, trying to make sure the drill hits the middle portion of the wood and not too close to the edge.

Sand each piece of wood, taking time around the drilled holes to smooth them out.

Paint! I used Americana Decor Outdoor Living paint in Fountain and Picket Fence for my pieces.

Give it another quick sand around the edges to give some more character.

Take your jute, and measure three pieces at about 25". Secure one end of the three combined pieces with some tape and slide it through the first piece of wood.

Knot the end and then knot it again once the jute has passed all the way through the hole. Continue this process until you have gone through all the wood.

Knot at each end and cut the jute. Do this step again on the other set of holes.

And there you have your place mat!

It's a perfect pop of color to add to any outdoor space. You can make this all one single color or use other colors to mix it up. 

This is the perfect size to fit most dinner plates and yet leave some color to give the table setting some great interest. Enjoy!