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TEA PARTY LADY PROJECTS

Napkin Rings: A Recycled Materials Craft Project

Being a Tea Party Lady on a budget isn't easy. With this project you can create your own elegant napkin rings for your next party for very little money, using ribbon, paint, and a little item you probably throw away without thinking about it - cardboard toilet paper tubes!

For this project you will need:

Paper towel or toilet paper tubes
Narrow ribbon (1/4"), raffia or material strips
1" - 2" wide ribbon (wire edged is best)
Acrylic paint
Small paint brush or sponge brush
Craft glue
Small silk flowers or other decorations

Cut a toilet paper tube into thirds, so you have three equal rings. This is the size I like best for napkin rings, but you can make yours thinner or fatter if you prefer. You may want to measure and draw lines before cutting, but since the rings will be covered it's not necessary to be TOO precise.

Paint the inside and outside of the rings. (I like to use a shiny metallic acrylic paint that will shine through the ribbon.) Allow paint to dry completely, then decorate.

Napkin rings used for Thanksgiving table

Some Decorating Ideas:

Cut about a 4 foot length of the narrow ribbon. Glue one end to the inside of the tube. Wrap the remaining ribbon around and around the tube, leaving a small space between each wrap if you want the paint beneath to show through. Finish by tying a wider piece of ribbon around the ring and tying a bow.
Glue lace around the edges of the tube. Attach small silk flowers with hot glue or craft glue.
Cover the ring completely with a lacy ribbon or strip of material.
Glue on decorations, such as ceramic country critters (ducks, geese, teddy bears, etc.)
Wrap pipe cleaners around the tube, leaving a small space between each wrap so the paint shows through. (Use a contrasting color paint.)
Buy wire edged ribbon that's about the same width as your rings. Cut about an 8" length. Starting on one side, grip the end of the wire and pull to gather the ribbon material. Repeat on the other side. Glue the gathered ribbon to the outside of your ring.
Wrap silk flowers with long stems tightly around the rings. (You may need to wrap the stems tightly around a piece of doweling or metal tubing first to help it "curl", then as it relaxes it should fit to your ring.)
Decoupage pretty pictures to the tubes. Spray with varnish to "finish".