Arts'n crafts ideas (Full version)

Decorations for Christmas table napkins


To make for a beautiful festive dinner table, forget about the paper napkins and bring out your cotton napkins instead, because they're going to be a part of your Christmas decorations!

There are ways of folding napkins so as to make pretty designs to set on your plates, producing a great 3D decoration. However, besides creating a bit too much of a restaurant look, you also have to get down to this on the same day as your dinner, just when you haven't the time. And that's not to mention the time spent ironing the napkin folds so that the shape of the folded object stands out clearly... This is where we got the idea of bead decorations that can be simply slipped onto the rolled up napkins.Elastic crystal bead napkin ring

Napkin ring made from beads

Here's how to make a napkin ring entirely out of crystal beads in natural hematite. The napkin ring takes the shape of an elasticated bracelet that is slipped either relatively loosely around the rolled-up napkin, allowing the napkin to spread out a little, or else wrapped a second time around the napkin, therefore pinching it more tightly, to create a double fan effect.
Close-up of hematite and bead napkin ringMaterials
20 inches of elastic thread (0.5 mm diameter)
50 faceted crystal beads in Crystal Ab, (4mm)
50 faceted half-crystal/half-silver crystal beads (4mm)
a silver look metal eyepin
hematite and metal beads for the hanging decorative part.

Or else, you can take a look at a full kit to make a crystal and hematite napkin ring.
Thread all the faceted beads onto the elastic thread (a beading needle will be very useful to help you to thread the beads onto this non-rigid thread).
Take the two ends of the thread and tie a double knot right next to the beads. To hide the knot in a bead, you just have to thread the end of a thread into the bead then pull until the knot is blocked inside.
Next, thread the beads onto the eyepin, beginning with (so as to follow the design in the photo, which is the one you can get in kit form) a metal bead cap, a hematite, then another metal bead cap, a large hollow metal bead, a small hematite bead, a large transparent crystal cathedral bead edged with silver, and finish off with a hematite faceted bead.
Take the end of the eyepin, (use a pair of pliers, preferably round nose pliers) and make a big loop. Wrap the elastic bracelet back on itself once (therefore creating 2 rows of beads) and close the eyepin        on these 2 rows of beads.
You will now be able to use your napkin ring to loosely hold a napkin or else create 3 rows of beads for a tighter fit bracelet.

Cellphone strap and lucky charm

napkin and guest's giftThe napkin may also be held in the rolled up position with a simple knotted muslin ribbon, to which a lucky charm is attached. It can be used as a charming cellphone strap decoration that your guests will be delighted to discover and keep.

This lucky charm is a Snowflake cellphone decoration, in Swarovski crystal.

Christmas hanging decoration design

Another way of keeping the table napkin rolled up is to tie it with a thin length of brass wire, the ends of which you've already wound up into a spiral form.Before tying it, thread on a Christmas hanging decoration.
In this case, the hanging decoration is a Christmas stocking made from Swarovski crystal bicone beads. You can be sure this guest's gift will be treasured for years to come...
(Available in azure crystal Christmas stocking kit with instructions).A hanging Christmas decoration: a crystal Christmas stocking