How to Make Recycled Paper Napkin Rings

How to Make Recycled Paper Napkin Rings

Here are two ways to make your own recycled paper napkin rings for your holiday table or for everyday use.

We like the idea of making recycled paper napkin rings because it encourages the use of real cloth napkins over disposable paper ones. And, when they get worn, you can recycle them and make new ones! Here’s a way to spruce up your dinner napkins and table settings without spending a bunch of cash. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, here are a couple of recycled paper napkin ring ideas that should inspire smiles at the dinner table. Both of these ideas are made from used paper, string/raffia and twigs found in and around the house, and are 100% recyclable.

Recycled Paper Napkin Rings

Recycled Paper Napkin Rings

  1. First, scrounge up some sturdy, recycled paper that you can roll up into a ring. Construction paper and newspaper work well.
  2. Trim the width of the paper down to about 2 inches and the length to about 5-6 inches.
  3. Cut both ends of the paper into a point or triangle shape. ( > < )
  4. Glue the ends of the paper together, with a little bit of overlap (about an inch).
  5. Cut out thin strips of different colored paper that match well with the look you’re going for, whether it’s red, orange, brown and yellow for fall colors or red, green and white or rich blues and violets for winter holidays.
  6. Once the glue has dried, continue making the ring and leave about a half inch of space from the middle where the ring intersects and cut half-inch slits in the ring horizontally. Then, cut about 4 slits going down vertically from the first. Repeat this on the other side of the ring. Once the first row of slits are cut, make another row of cuts on each side, spaced about 2 millimeters from the first.
  7. Next, weave in the thin strips of paper (magazines, foil, wrapping paper, etc.) through the slits and cut to the length of the ring. Then glue the ends down on the ring so that they don’t come loose.
  8. After the 4 rows of weaves are finished, cut 2 inch slits in the back of the ring, spaced about an inch apart. Then cut another piece of paper to fit the slits and weave it through, cutting the ends to the length of the ring and gluing the strips onto the ring.
  9. Finally, using a hole punch cut 2 holes on the front of the napkin ring and tie a bow using raffia or any other string you have around the house.
  10. At last, your napkin ring is finished and you can place onto your favorite dinner napkin.

Blossom Ring

Recycled Paper Napkin Rings

    1. Follow the first four steps from the “woven napkin ring” instructions.
    2. Once those steps are finished, cut out another piece of paper of another color of your choice. Then cut the ends into a point like you did with the ring and glue onto the ring (> <). Let the glue dry.
    3. Next choose two more colors for your blossom. Cut both colors into 3 thin strips about 2 inches long and form a ring, then glue together the ends.
    4. Using raffia or some other sturdy string, tie together the 6 pieces of paper so that they form a flower. Then do the same with the raffia and tie the paper flower and raffia flower together so that the raffia is behind the paper flower
    5. Next, using a hole punch. punch 2 holes near the center of the ring where the ends intersect. Using that same string, tie the flowers onto the ring.
    6. To create the full flower effect, place a small twig through a loop of string from the flower.
    7. Now your blossom napkin ring should be finished and ready for the dinner table.

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