If you are handy with a hot glue gun, you can whip up these darling napkin rings in a jiffy. No special skills needed for this project. A few minutes of your time is all that is needed to create this lovely addition for your autumn table!
Last week I was poking around my favorite thrift store and stumbled upon a bag of 8 wooden napkin rings for only $2. I almost passed them up but because they were so inexpensive I decided to grab them. I knew I could think of a way to easily and inexpensively update them.
My first thought was to paint them, but I actually like the deep wood tones so I decided not to. Because they are the color of what I consider fall tones I got to thinking about how I could embellish them to use in my fall decor.
With autumn in mind I remembered the thousands of acorns I collected last year. I have bags and bags and bags of acorns that I baked and bagged. I knew I could use them later on for another craft project.
If you need to learn how to preserve acorns, I wrote an entire post on how to do just that. You can read all about how to easily preserve acorns here as well as some inspiration for using them as decor in your home.
Supplies you will need to make these napkin rings:
- Napkin rings
- Acorns
- Clear nail polish
- Hot glue gun & glue sticks
- Twine
- Scissors
Glue a cap onto each acorn and allow the glue to dry. Even if the cap is attached, remove it and secure it with a dab of glue. Invariably the cap will come loose if you haven’t secured it to the acorn with glue. As luck would have it the cap will come loose when you are setting the table and company is on the way.
Paint each acorn with a coat of clear nail polish. The polish gives the acorns a nice sheen and enhances their natural color.
Once the nail polish has dried, glue the acorn onto a napkin ring. I attached them to the napkin ring at a slight angle. I liked the way it looked, angled a bit.
Make a tiny bow with a piece of twine and attach it to the top of the acorn with a tiny dab of hot glue.
Once the glue is dry you can use your darling new napkin rings. That’s it! A super easy, super quick little project that you can do in just a few minutes.
Don’t have any acorns? Try using little pinecones instead. They would look lovely on a napkin ring used just by themselves on a fall inspired table.
Using pinecones? Add a bow made with red ribbon, a tiny sprig of pine greenery, or a little jingle bell for a Christmas inspired napkin ring. It wouldn’t even require sealing anything with clear polish. Even easier!
What about using those little candies that are available at Halloween? The ones that are shaped like tiny orange pumpkins? Coating them with clear nail polish would seal and preserve them. Paint the napkin ring black and attach the tiny pumpkin candies with a dab of glue. How cute would that be on a Halloween inspired napkin ring? It would be adorable!
Use your imagination when thinking about how to embellish a plain napkin ring to make it just a bit more festive. It most certainly doesn’t have to be complicated. Almost any small item could easily be used to dress up a plain napkin ring.
Click here for an easy DIY summer inspired napkin ring project using starfish.
For $2 plus a dab of glue, a bit of twine, and less than 30 minutes of my time, I was able to make 8 napkin rings. I think that qualifies as the deal of the week!!!
I’m really pleased with how easy this project was and how cute these turned out. So the next time you come across some inexpensive napkin rings, grab them! Even if the color is all wrong that can easily be changed with a coat of paint. Attach a simple embellishment, and voila…a beautiful seasonal addition for your table. I hope you’ll give this easy project a try.