Vintage Button Napkin Rings

Nothing says fancy dinner like cloth napkins.  I got my hands on some great napkins but needed napkin rings!  This is a super easy, inexpensive, and pretty way to make your own napkin rings.

Here’s what you’ll need:
Chinelle stems (pipe cleaners)
Fancy Buttons

My mother was blessed with a few jars of buttons that had belonged to her grandmother.  I have many memories of dumping out the jars and searching though the sea of buttons for the perfect one for the project at hand.  When I flew home to visit a few months ago, Mom surprised me by packing up a container of her treasured buttons for me to take home.  I love and cherish them like little tiny family heirlooms.  When the babies are sleeping I even let my oldest dump them on the rug and search through them, just like my mom let me do.

Now any buttons will work for this project if you don’t have your great grandmother’s to use.  You can pick up mixed buttons at any craft store.  I recommend keeping an eye out for a jar of buttons at the thrift store and garage sales though.  They would be worth every penny!

Now on to the crafting.  My sea of tiny heirlooms:

To make the napkin rings, simply thread the button on to the pipe cleaner.  Have your first button go to the middle of the pipe cleaner and add buttons to both sides of the original button.  Make your button chain as long as you need it!

 Middle button threaded on the pipe cleaner:

 To fasten them to the napkin I simply twisted the pipe cleaner around the back.  I did not make them hard to get off because we have lots of older ladies at church; I didn’t want anyone to have to make an effort to get the ring off.

 Here are the napkins all ready to go!

About Melissa

I have a lot going on, and I’d much rather spend my time enjoying my messes than fretting about what I’m going to make for dinner. Over the past few years, I’ve nailed down a few strategies that helped me keep my kitchen running like a well-oiled machine, so I started Bless This Mess to help other mess-loving parents solve the nightly dinner delimma—no stress, no drama, just really great food your whole family will love. Read more...

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