How to make a cheap and easy table runner

I’ve been having so much fun freshening my home up for spring using things I already own.  I shared my spring home tour earlier this week and one of my favorite parts was the dining room table. The thing that brought it all together – the cheap and easy table runner. And when I say cheap and easy, I really mean it.  You could make a dozen of these for $5 in about 30 minutes.

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A few years ago, I picked up these aqua and green glass candlesticks at yard sales and I love them.  Something about them just screams spring to me and I knew I wanted them on the dining room table along with some of my vintage blue mason jars.  But when I pulled them out and added them to the table, they just looked weird.  I tried clumping them closer together.  (That’s an interior design term right?  Clumping?)  They still looked off.  I tried spreading them out.  Still weird.  The problem was they looked like they were just floating oddly in the  middle of the table.  I didn’t think to take a picture so you’re just going to have to trust me on this.

I was pretty sure the solution was a table runner – it would help bring everything together and make it look more intentional.  The problem is I don’t own a table runner.  I know – shocking for someone who loves to decorate as much as me!  But I’ve just never needed one before.  I was pretty determined to put this table together using only things I already own so buying a table runner was out.  Which meant I was just going to have to figure out how to make one.

I pulled out all of my fabric scraps and found a few that would be really pretty…but, to be quite honest, I just didn’t feel like sewing.  Or ironing for that matter. It sounds kind of lazy but whatever.  It’s just decorating – cutting corners here and there isn’t the end of the world.  Plus, every now and then, a little laziness leads to the best ideas and this happened to be one of those times.

Fabric was out, but what about paper?  Then all I would have to do is cut it with some scissors!  I happen to have a thing for pretty wrapping paper.  Whenever I find a really gorgeous paper I snap it up, knowing I’ll figure out some way to use it.  In this case, I pulled out some pretty birch printed wrapping paper I bought last year. Mine is from TJMaxx (my favorite source for inexpensive wrapping paper), but I found the green candlesticks online at an awesome price.

I cut a piece of the paper a little longer than the length of my table.  Then I folded it in half lengthwise and cut along the fold.  This gave me the perfect width for a table runner.  To make it extra pretty, I pulled out a pair of green candlesticks and gave it pretty scalloped edges.

I added my candlesticks and jars again and it was perfect!  Wrapping paper for the win!

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This isn’t the first time I’ve used wrapping paper in my decorating.  I actually used the exact same wrapping paper to update a lampshade …and I liked it so much, it is still there two years later!

Anyone else have creative ideas for repurposing wrapping paper?  I’ve certainly got enough stashed away that I would love to put to a good use!

*I’ve had several comments about my pretty colored glass candlesticks.  I lucked into finding these at yard sales but I did find similar green candlesticks and blue candlesticks on ebay if you are looking for your own set.

I am linking this post at Work it Wednesday.