DIY fall napkin rings using raffia.

Hi Podgy People! It’s Shannon from Madigan Made back again. Today I want to show you an easy fall craft project that would be an elegant idea for your autumn table scape.

I’m always amazed at the versatility of Mod Podge. Not only can you cover and seal stuff with it . . . but you can shape things, too! Fabric, yarn, rope . . . decoupage is a wonderful sealer and shaper for these materials. I made a bracelet with raffia and Mod Podge this past summer and it inspired these fall napkin rings that I made this month.

There are some things to remember when you use Mod Podge to hold fibers together.  First, you need a surface that will serve as the mold for your material. But  you also need to ensure that the fibrous material and mold will separate once the glue is dry. When you are working with a small object like a napkin ring, how do you find a cylindrical object that will allow you to easily release the rings once everything is dry? I figured out that a long balloon works perfectly! Especially the kind that you can use to make balloon animals. The diameter is perfect for a napkin ring!

These napkin rings were also affordable to make… I found my balloon kit and raffia at the dollar store. And the gems were only $1.50 for a big box of them at the craft store!

Let me show you how I made these simple fall napkin rings.

Supplies needed:
Raffia
Mod Podge, Satin formula
Long Balloon Kit
Rhinestone leaf gems
Hot glue
Scissors
Foam brush
Pin

Step One: Inflate your party balloon with the pump provided and tie the end shut.

Step Two:  This is where we get a little messy! Brush a thick coat of Mod Podge around a section of the balloon. Take one end of the raffia and wrap it around that area. Keep in mind that you are decoupaging the raffia onto itself . . . not to the balloon. The cylinder is just there to support your shape. Liberally apply more Mod Podge as you continue to wrap the fiber around the balloon.

If you need more raffia, you can add it. But one strand of raffia gave me a decent width for a napkin ring. Secure the end down with more Mod Podge. (You may need to tuck the end into fibers to get it to stay put, too.)

Step Three: Repeat step two and work your way down the balloon. Wrap more pieces of raffia with Mod Podge to make your desired quantity of napkin rings. Hang the balloon to dry overnight.

Step Four: Now comes the fun part! Use a sharp pin or scissors and pop your balloon to release your pretty napkin rings. Pop! The balloon will peel right away from the decoupage and raffia.

Step Five: Use scissors to clean up some of loose or hanging raffia and dried decoupage from the edges of each ring.

Step Six: Attach a jeweled leaf to each circle with your hot glue gun. If you can’t find a pretty jewel, try a button or an acorn top. Personalize it for your table!

Enjoy your new napkins rings at your next dinner party this season! See how easy it is to use decoupage to turn fibers into a shape? I’m loving how the natural material resembles corn husks. The contrast of organic raffia with a pretty jewel is simple and understated.

Why not make a set of these napkin rings for your Thanksgiving table? You can tell your relatives all about  the amazing things you can make with Mod Podge over pumpkin pie. (Beats talking about your aunt’s latest bunion trouble, right?)

About the Podger: You might call Shannon the Clark Kent of craft blogging. By day, she is a pharmacist and by night she shares simple ideas for crafts, décor and much more with her readers. She also craves chocolate, loves a thrifty find and tries (often unsuccessfully) to avoid glue gun burns. You can find Shannon on her blog, Madigan Made, and on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, too.

I’m participating in the following linky parties: I Heart Naptime, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots and Jello, Tidy Mom, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, Creative Jewish Mom

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Being in the “I Make Stuff” business as I am my seasons and holidays are all screwed up. I was working on Halloween in August and now I’m onto Thanksgiving before Halloween even happens. It’s also 90 degrees today in Los Angeles so I don’t know which way is up. Ah, well. Thanksgiving has always left me stuck decoration-wise.

I’m all about the 20s, 30s and 40s vintage stuff but vintage Thanksgiving is often, um . . . a little racist. And, I’ve got nothing against pretty leaves and such but they don’t do much for me. So, I decided to go a whole different direction and came up with a vintage travel theme for what will be my Thanksgiving table. I’ve made these place cards that could be used for assigned seating or identifying food at buffet.

I like this project because it’s totally versatile. You could use scans of record albums, vintage Christmas images, labels from The Graphics Fairy – anything that appealed and went with your theme. I’ve provided some maps for you to use if you’d like scaled to the size of the bases I used (please scroll to the bottom to download). My travel images are from the Dover Vintage Travel posters book. I just imported them into MS Word and then resized to my heart’s content.

You will need:

• Round wood discs 
• 3” diameter (I got mine at Michaels) 
• Wood tags 2” x 3” (also from Michaels) 
• A ¼ inch wood dowel 
• Primer 
• Chalkboard Paint 
• Drill with a ¼ inch drill bit 
• Glue Gun 
• Mod Podge 
• Brush 
• 1 ½ “ painters tape 
• Black Sharpie 
• Saw or miter box 
• Fine grit sandpaper 

1) Lightly sand the tops and edges of the discs and tags just to smooth them out a bit
2) Using the 1 ½” painters tape mask off half of each of the tag

3) Prime the exposed side of the tag and set aside to dry.
4) While the primer is drying use your black Sharpie to “paint” the edges of the discs then cut out your circular maps and mod podge them into place and set aside to dry.
5) Now that your primer has dried give it a light sanding to smooth out any bumps and top coat with a couple of coats of chalkboard paint according to the manufacturer’s instructions and set aside to dry.
6) Cut out your vintage travel images.

7) When the chalkboard paint has dried adequately gently peel away the tape.
8) Use your Sharpie to paint the edges and, if you’d like, the back of the tag.

9) Mod Podge your vintage images into place making sure not to get any Mod Podge on the chalkboard area.
10) After about 20 minutes give both the tags and the bases a light coat of Mod Podge just to seal everything (once again making sure not to get Mod Podge on the chalkboard area).
11) While everything is drying use your Sharpie to “paint” the dowel black and then, using your miter box, cut it into 3 ½ inch lengths.

12) Once everything is dry, flip the bases over and place a piece of blue painter's tape on the back and mark the center of the disc.
13) Now, place a piece of scrap wood on the table and place your base, face down, on top of it and drill through your center mark and into, but not through, the scrap wood (the scrap wood prevents the drill from creating “blow out” on the opposite side as it passes through).

14) Using your glue gun attach the dowel sections to the back of each tag.
15) Once the glue has dried and the chalkboard paint has cured as per the manufacturer’s instructions, write the names on the tags (it’s just easier to do it now but not necessary), and connect the tags with their bases. I found I didn’t need to glue them to their bases, and this way you can take them apart for storage.

Now you are ready to party - but don't forget to download the tag art below:
Globe Print Sheet

 

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Meet Chrissie Grace, mixed media artist and painter (in addition to being a wife and mother to four children). Chrissie created this piece using mosaics, Mod Podge, paper and more. She's not only very talented but very kind, as I learned from exchanging e-mails with her. She's so kind in fact that she is offering her amazing artwork as a giveaway for Mod Podge Rocks and Chrissie Grace readers. Yep, you can win this Give Thanks hanging for keepsies. Here are the rules, which are pretty simple and give you three chances to win. You must do one of the following, but doing any of the other two gives you extra entries:

1. Become a follower of Mod Podge Rocks (in case you are lost, that is where you are right now)
2. Become a follower of Chrissie Grace
3. Leave a comment telling us one thing that you are grateful for (besides friends and family)

To get the ball rolling, I'm thankful for shaved ice. Not the regular cubes that come out of the dispenser on the front of your fridge, but the chopped kind that makes a drink extra cold and oh-so-delicious.

Giveaway closes this coming Saturday, November 14th at midnight. This is your chance for some original and very cool Chrissie Grace artwork - now get over to her blog and thank her! Please?

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