Here are some super easy fall napkin rings using recycled brown paper grocery bags that you can easily make the night before your Thanksgiving feast. And these Thanksgiving napkin rings double as place cards.
Elise and I went grocery shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and I totally forgot to bring our cloth bags. We walked out with about 8 big brown paper grocery bags and I instantly felt a little guilty about it. So I thought I’d recycled them by incorporating brown paper grocery bags into napkin rings for our Thanksgiving table decor (and if you don’t have a grocery bag you can always use Kraft paper, butcher block or brown paper).
To save time I re-used the free leaf shape template from Thanksgiving past. Remember these Thanksgiving placecards?
And another bonus? I used up some of the scrap paper that I’d saved from making Elise’s birthday party hats. Yeah, I kept the scraps from her birthday party. I have a serious pack rat problem. But when things like these napkin rings actually turn out cute I’m glad I kept all that stuff. Happy Thanksgiving!
Supplies:
- Free leaf template – from the retro place card project (PDF)
- Free printable name pattern in Microsoft PowerPoint (works 1″ craft punches) and free Goudy Bookletter 1911 font from The League of Moveable Type
- Brown paper grocery bag (or Kraft or butcher block paper)
- Ball point pen
- Round hole punch
- Assorted colored paper scraps or sheets (I used orange, metallic bronze, yellow and luxe cream)
- Self-healing mat, rotary cutter and clear plastic ruler
- Good paper scissors
- VELCRO Brand Adhesive Dots
- 1″ inch circle craft punch
- Craft adhesive
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Cut open a brown paper grocery bag so it lays flat. Try to choose one with few wrinkles.
Cut brown paper bag napkin rings 7″ wide x 1.5″ tall using a self-healing mat,rotary cutter and clear plastic ruler.
Measure 1/2″ from the left side and cut a slit halfway through (so your slit will be half of the 1.5″ tall). Repeat on the right side, but make sure the slit is opposite like in the photo above.
Download the free printable name pattern and open PowerPoint. You’ll need to download and install the free Goudy Bookletter 1911 font from The League of Moveable Type or change the font to one that you prefer. Use your 1″ circle craft hole punch to punch out names. You will need to do a little trimming to get the punch close enough to punch the inner rows.
Print my leaf template. Now here’s a neat trick. Just put the pattern on top of the yellow paper that you want to cut. Trace around it using a ball point pen. The ball point pen will press into the yellow paper
Here you can see the faint trace lines. Cool, yes?
And now you just cut! No worrying about seeing messy lines around your cut leaf.
Use your 1″ circle craft punch to make assorted circle colors. Glue three together with the name circle on top.
Slip the leaf between two circles. Let it dry.
Peel the backing off of a VELCRO Adhesive Dot and press onto the back of the orange circle. Peel the other side of the backing and press onto the brown paper bag napkin ring.
Wrap the napkin ring around the rolled fabric napkin. Hook the two sides together using the slits like so. Happy Thanksgiving!
Did you make it? Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign.
COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use free pattern and how to step-by-step tutorial for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.
