I absolutely adore all the sweet ways people display their escort cards, and thanks to Spark And Wildflower, Bloom Calligraphy and Dionel Photography we have yet another display to swoon over. It’s a totally doable DIY, and is a surefire way to impress your guests.
From Spark And Wildflower…This escort card display was originally inspired by the beautiful blue and white patterned drawer knobs I ended up using as escort tag hangers. I knew I wanted to create something centered around a classic, elegant style with just a touch of weathered and rustic charm, thus the pallet escort card display was born.
I chose a worn pallet that I painted grey, followed by a layer of dry brushed white paint to create a distressed look. My gorgeous, mismatched knobs served perfectly as hangers for the escort tags that were so beautifully penned by Linda of Bloom Calligraphy. When considering signage, I wanted something that would communicate it’s message while contributing to the variety of textures and the soft color palette that this display exudes. I selected romantic serif letters that I tied on using the loveliest powder blue velvet ribbon, to simply spell the words, “find your seat.”
This display’s soft airiness, antique, worn appearance and feminine touches make it perfect for wedding decor, and can easily be customized to fit a variety of styles and color palettes. My friend Dionel, the talent behind Dionel Photography, did an impeccable job of portraying the style and feel I was hoping to achieve through her stunning photos.
wood pallet
sander
paint
paintbrush
pencil
ruler
power drill
drawer knobs
letters
ribbon for tying on your letters
scissors
escort tags, hole punched
ribbon for your tags
Find your pallets. You’ll more than likely need multiple pallets to accommodate all of your escort tags (my pallet is 3 feet by 3.5 feet and contains 30 knobs, with about 10 inches of space between each) so consider your number of tags and the spacing you want before shopping. I went with a used pallet to achieve a worn, distressed look for my display, but you can purchase brand new pallets from any hardware store for a cleaner look. You can often acquire used pallets from flower shops, farmer’s markets, and other small businesses that are willing to give away their old ones, however some businesses hire pallet removal companies, so it’s important to ask permission before taking any pallets you see.
Sand. It won’t need a ton, but sand your pallet just enough to remove the larger wood splinters.
Paint. I chose a warm charcoal grey for the base layer, followed by white paint which I lightly dry brushed on to create a worn, antique look, allowing my dark grey to show through.
Measure + Drill. Once you know how many knobs you can fit on each panel (and have reserved a couple of panels for your letters) measure and mark a point for each knob to achieve even spacing and straight lines. Drill your holes and erase all pencil marks.
Attach your drawer knobs. Select the knobs you want for your display (all of mine were found at Hobby Lobby!) and decide how you want to arrange them. I found it useful to lay mine on the floor and map out what order I’d like them in before attaching them. This way, you can play around with the arrangement until you have it just right – I also took a picture of my ‘map’ as a reference.
Tie on your letters. The letters I selected were 4 inches tall (from Hobby Lobby) and required two panels of my pallet to fit the words, “find your seat,” comfortably. Using ribbon (I adore my powder blue ribbon, also found at Hobby Lobby) cut strands approximately 10 inches long. Tie one end to the top of your letter, wrap around the panel until it ends in the back, and tie the ribbon to itself. This will cause some letters to be crooked – an aesthetic element you may or may not prefer – so if you want all of your letters to be straight, simply loop the ribbon around the panel only once, tying the second end to the bottom of the letter.
Escort Tags. Once you have your hole punched escort tags, select a ribbon to go with them (this cream ribbon was found at, yes, Hobby Lobby) and cut into strands. String and tie to create hanging tags, which puts the finishing touch on your pallet escort card display. Voila!
Photography: Dionel Photography | Calligraphy: Bloom Calligraphy | DIY: Spark And Wildflower
