July 4th themed napkin rings are easy to make, whether you're planning an indoor gathering or an outdoor barbecue. Your Fourth of July handmade napkin rings will draw compliments from your guests. They're easy enough to make for other holidays as well. Here are some ways to design your own.
Red, White and Blue Beaded Napkin Rings
To make beaded napkin rings, you will need to purchase the following items from your local craft store: steel memory wire in 2 inch coils (the wire must be "memory wire", as memory wire holds it's coiled shape), round nose pliers, wire cutters and an assortment of red, white and blue beads. These items will usually be located in the jewelry making section.
With the pliers, make a small loop in one end of the wire, to keep the beads from sliding off. Then string the beads on the wire in the order of red, white and blue. When the napkin ring is as full as you want it to be, cut the wire but leave approximately ½ inch of extra wire. Use the pliers to form a small loop in the end of the wire and trim off any excess wire. You might even be able to find some American flag beads and you can add them in with the other beads.
Patriotic, Corded Braid Napkin Rings
To make braided napkin rings, purchase red, white and blue cording from a craft or fabric store. You will also need a hot glue gun, tape and a narrow piece of cording in red, white or blue.
Cut three 10-inch lengths of cording and tape them together at one end. If you are using twisted cording, also tape each individual end to avoid the cord from unraveling while you are working. Braid the red, white and blue cords together until you have your desired length necessary to wrap around your napkin.
Wrap a piece of tape around the braid at the point you want and then cut the excess cording. Use hot glue to attach the ends of the braid together, and use the narrow cording to cover the tape and glue. You can tie the narrow cord around the tape and glue and make several knots, then cut and leave an inch or two for decoration.
Paper Towel Napkin Rings
Napkin rings made from paper towel tubes are a true form of recycling. You will need paper towel tubes, sticky paper from the craft store and American Flag fabric and fabric glue from the fabric store.
Cut lengths from the paper towel tube into the desired width. Then reinforce with sticky paper. Cut the fabric to fit over the tube and squeeze glue on the fabric. Then attach the fabric to the tubes and trim the excess fabric.
For a formal party, you can make name tags, attach the tags to the napkin rings and use them to assign seating arrangements. To find fancy, embellished name or gift tags, browse the scrapbook section of your local craft store. Then pick out red and blue pens and some American flag stickers. Write each person's name in red or blue and then decorate the tag with a sticker. Use the string on the tag to attach to the napkin ring and your place setting is now complete!
Finally, you can't have a July 4 event without a good 'ol American barbecue. You'll need a grill to cook those luscious steaks so make sure to check out this site to find what's best for you:
http://www.justgreatsteaks.com/
