Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Make Your Own Napkin Rings

This weekend our niece was married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. We had a wonderful weekend away with family.  I got to see my aunt and uncle, my mom's sister and brother, who are my age.  We were more like cousins growing up.  We now live in three different states, with my aunt living the farthest away, in California.  I only get to see them every two or three years.  We had a lot of fun and laughs.

Before the wedding, I had made some gifts for my niece and nephew-to-be.  I found a gray and white damask pattern fabric to make napkins, and attempted a painted table runner.  The napkins turned out very well, but the table runner was a flop.  Instead of giving up, like a sensible person, I kept trying to "fix" it.  So at the last hour, when I finally realized it was a total loss, I had to come up with plan B.

The day before we left, I spent shopping for supplies, which of course I had to run all over creation to find.  I decided to buy a white tablecloth, and three stores later I finally found one.  Who knew it would be so hard to find a simple white tablecloth?  I couldn't find napkin rings anything close to what I wanted, so I decided to make some.  That was another three stores trying to find some type of ring.  I finally ended up at the hardware store and found just the thing.  What...you don't buy your napkin rings at the hardware store?

Back at home, I gathered my supplies and started making these jeweled napkin rings.







 To make your own gather these supplies:  
variety of beads (you will need some beads with large enough holes 
to insert wire through twice for the ends)
tape measure
craft wire in a gauge to fit your beads (I used about a 22 gauge)
1 1/2 inch solid rings from the hardware store (not shown)
bent nose pliers,
nylon or plastic jaw pliers
wire cutters


Cut a piece of wire 20 inches long.  This will wrap slightly more than half way around the ring.  If you want to go all the way around, you will need cut more.  Begin by wrapping one end of the wire around the ring.  There is a seam in the ring, so I made sure the beads would cover it.



Next, use your nylon jaw pliers to straighten the wire.  Pull the wire gently, but firmly, through the pliers.


Insert your first couple of beads on, making sure the first or second bead is one of the larger hole beads.  Wrap the wire around the ring, holding the beads on top of the ring.  Here I wrapped the first loop around the ring, then around the wire between the first two beads, securing them in place.


See that little end sticking up?  Take that and bend it with the bent nose pliers so that you can push it through the large bead to hide the end of the wire.  You may need to trim it, so that it doesn't stick out the other end of the bead, but make sure you leave it long enough, that it won't pop back out.  I found, once I had it in a little way, it was easier to use the nylon jaw pliers to pinch it into the bead by placing one side of the pliers on the opposite side of the bead and squeezing gently.


Continue wrapping 1 - 3 beads at a time, until you've covered half the ring.  Slide your another large hole bead onto the end and secure with a couple of wraps.  Trim the wire, and insert that end into the large hole bead, just like you did at the beginning.  That's all there is to it.






The first one may feel a little like you are all thumbs, but you will quickly get the hang of it.  Here it is shown on one of the napkins I made.




You can totally change the look just by selecting different beads, or use buttons instead of beads!   You could even use colored wire if you like.  These were a hit, and I think I'm going to be making some more of these!

Until next time, keep craftin' and smilin'!


I'm sharing this at these lovely parties:

14 comments:

  1. Those are SO cute! Great idea. You could make them for all kinds of holidays using the appropriate beads. xo Diana

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  2. What a great idea - they look beauitful!!!
    Thanks for sharing - I'm going to pin this :)
    xoxo

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  3. Absolutely beautiful! And they look perfect with the napkins that you made :)

    Hugs to you!

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  4. These are absolutely stunning, Deborah! I made a few pair of earrings once and felt totally all thumbs. This is super inspiring and it's a wee bit bigger than the earrings....maybe sometime I could try it. Once I get the supplies....oh my...I don't have any of these things. Hmmm... someday...a new craft to get into. ;)

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  5. This is fabulous. I love your napkin rings and your directions are great. I can just see them on a table setting and the stones catching the light. Gorgeous. I would love to try this project. Thank you for sharing your talents.
    Hugs, Celestina Marie

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  6. Beautiful! And the napkins are so pretty too!

    -andi

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  7. Oh wow! Those are GRAND! And I'm thinking they'd be a fun craft to share with my grandkids. Thank you for a lovely idea and visit via The Dedicated House :) I'm pinning this at Pinterest.com/SandwichINK :)

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  8. These are so pretty Deborah. I love me some bling! lol! Thanks for sharing with SYC. Pinning.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  9. So lovely project! Thanks so much for sharing the great tutorial! Would love to have you visit my blog sometime.
    Have a fabulous weekend!
    Hugs from Portugal,

    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

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  10. What a lovely gift and a fun project. Thanks for linking it up at Shabbilicious Friday.
    Hugs ~ Kerryanne

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  11. Your efforts for the gifts were quite an adventure napkins turned out great, but the table runner mishap turned into an unexpected quest for a white tablecloth and even DIY napkin rings from a hardware store. If you are looking for the best international business dissertation topics in the UK. I am here to assist you.

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  12. Creating your own napkin rings is such a fun and creative way to add a personal touch to your table setting. I love the idea of customizing them to match different occasions or themes. Definitely going to try this DIY project! Now, back to work - time to do my assignment.

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  13. That's wonderful Idea! I'm happy that sharing your Idea Outstanding work. I will try to make it own. Now a days I am busy in my coursework help online academy I hire assistant to achieve highest mark and I will got it definitely then I try to make it at home.

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  14. I really like your napkin rings and I am planning to try making them in my free time. However, these days I am quite busy with my education. I have got an assignment and I am searching for "pay someone to take my statistics exam" which is why I am occupied with that.

    ReplyDelete

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