How to Create Napkin Rings
- 1
Cutting the rings.
Place the cardboard tube on top of the cutting board. Flatten it with the palm of your hand. With a ruler and pen, make a marking every 1 1/2". This will be the width of your finished napkin ring.
Lay head of ruler flush with edge of flattened roll and aligned with your first mark. Hold ruler firmly with one hand and cut along ruler's edge with the exacto knife. Finish cutting desired quantity of napkin rings. - 2
Vinyl tape strips.
Cut 9 strips of electrical tape at 3 1/4" long. Center your first strip of tape over the middle of your cardboard ring. Smooth tape.
One edge at a time, tuck in the ends of tape so they meet inside center of ring. If done correctly, there should be no cardboard showing.
With your second strip, slightly overlap the first tape as you place it on cardboard ring. Finish applying tape until entire cardboard ring is covered with the vinyl tape. - 3
Applying the vinyl tape on the cardboard makes it sturdy and protects the napkin ring from liquid spills. Finish the napkin ring with your choice of materials.
Hot glue a string of purple Mardi Gras beads. Dab a bead of glue on the outer ring to start, set tip of strand in hot glue, wait a few seconds and wrap the beads around your napkin ring. Secure at end.
With your hot glue gun, adhere colorful buttons or even small metal washers. Another fun finish is to punch random holes in the napkin ring with a hole punch. Thread a length of ribbon through the holes and tie in a bow when the ends come together. - 4
You can also choose to leave the cardboard base as is. Cut off 3 ft of natural twine. Dab a bit of hot glue inside the cardboard ring. Begin your twine at this spot and continue wrapping until you've covered the entire ring. Secure at end with another dab of hot glue.
Make a decoupage napkin ring with the Sunday comics or how about a crossword puzzle? Drizzle a little hot water into some white glue and mix well. Tear newspaper into small pieces and apply glue mix with a foam brush, beginning your layering from the inside out. Dry overnight. Apply a coat of water base polycrylic to finish. - 5
Save your empty cardboard tubes and bits and pieces of trim and other materials. On your next rainy afternoon, you can recycle and create napkin rings with the kids. Have fun!
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