Napkin I.D. Rings

To save money we switched from paper napkins to cloth napkins a few years ago.  I found that we needed a way to I.D. our barely used dinner napkins so they could be re-used again during snack times.  Unfortunately, I never was able to come up with a good way to do this.  That is until I  came across these adorable (and clearanced) beads.  I'm soooo excited to have our ID napkin rings.  Not only are they functional...they are CUTE.  And to top it off, hey save me from having to wash extra napkins!  Does it get any better?


This project took about an hour to make almost a dozen I.D. rings.

Here is what you need...

20 Gage Jewelry Wire
Beads
Wire Cutters
Round Nose Pliers (alteast I think that is what they are called)

To get started, you need to loop your wire to keep it from snagging your napkin.

Here is what it will look like when your done.











Next I took a permanent market and wrapped the wire around it 4 times.  I chose this size because unlike regular napkin rings, I needed to prevent the I.D. from being oversized and slipping off. 

After creating my ring, I cut it from the spool leaving about a 1 1/2 - 2 inch tail so I could wrap it around my rings.  But, before I wraped them, I did loosen the wind slightly making the hoops a little larger.  You want them to be slightly larger than a quarter.









Now use your Round Nose Pliers to loop the end so it doesn't snag your napkins.  Here is what it will look like. 

Here is how it should turn out.








Next we attach the bead.  Cut a piece of wire about 1 - 1 1/2 inch long.  Using the Round Nose Pliers again make a loop on the end of the wire to keep your bead from slipping off.  Thread your bead on the wire.  Weave the wire through the twists that you placed around your rings.  Use your Round Nose Pliers to twirl the excess wire into a spiral that will act as decoration and prevent it from slipping off your rings.




And there you have it.  Your first napkin I.D. ring.  :o)

If you want to add a little more bling to your rings, read on.

For variation, I created rings with one bead, multiple beads on the same wire and multiple beads on different wires.  Here is how I added the bead on different wires and attached them. 

Twist your wires together and thread them through the wrapped rings as one wire.  After they are threaded, separate them and individually twist the wires to create decorative accents.

To add decorative swirls to the top or bottom of your bead you'll use a similar technique.  Thread your empty wire, twist it and use your Round Nose Pliers to twist your scrolls.









And there you have it.  Aren't they beautiful!

And as beautiful as they look on these fancy napkins....this just isn't reality in my house.  :o)









This is my reality... 

My faded, well used, everyday cloth napkins.  They look a little ratty and have a few grease stains on them but they represent many many meals shared with my family around our dinner table.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to part with them!







Now for storage....were am I going to keep these little gems.  Hmmmm lovin' the jar. 

Needs a little bling... 

I'm thinkin' I see another craft in my near future. 

Stay tuned to see how this little jar is transformed into a decorative centerpiece to hold my new Napkin I.D. rings.











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