Just Paint It: Holiday Burlap Napkin Rings

Hey, guess what! I found some more burlap in my stash. I know! Burlap is becoming a bit of a holiday theme around here. First, the Spooky Runner, then there was the Fall Leaf Mantel Scarf and I said, that’s it!

But I got to thinking one day about burlap, Mod Podge and t.p. rolls. Yeah, um, you really don’t want to know what goes on inside my head, ok? But since the Mod Podge worked so well on the fall leaves, I wondered if it would stiffen burlap into a shape. Then I remembered a post I saw by the Mod Podge Mama, aka Amy @ ModPodgeRocks, and decided to give it a whirl.

And let’s face it, everyone needs napkin rings, right? Ok, everyone but me apparently since I had to really dig to find these two cloth napkins, ha!

These are so easy it’s ridiculous too. Wanna see? Sure ya do!

I divided the Tutorial & Supply List up, just in case you want to make a different kind of topper.

Burlap Napkin Rings

Burlap Strips approximately 2” x 7”
Mod Podge
T.P. roll
Waxpaper
paintbrush

First, cut your burlap strips. I made mine 2” wide by 7”.

Then wrap your t.p. roll with wax paper. Or a plastic grocery bag will work too. (trust me).

Apply Mod Podge on one side of the burlap, leaving about an inch or so dry.

Wrap the burlap around the roll and brush Mod Podge on the dry end to secure it.

Two strips will fit on each roll.

Allow to dry. I’d recommend removing them from the roll before they’re completely dry, otherwise there’s a bit of tugging. And possibly some bad words mumbled.

I left mine to dry overnight but it depends on the temperature of your room right now. It does take a while though.

Now let’s make ‘em pretty!

Poinsettia Toppers

Red Fabric
Mod Podge
Paintbrushes – 1 for Mod Podge, liner brush for Glitter paint
Scissors
Red Paint
Garnet Glitter Paint by Martha Stewart
Decorative bead (optional)
hot glue gun (low temp)

Brush Mod Podge on your red fabric. I used a poly blend that’s a little like velveteen. Let the fabric dry fully.

The Mod Podge really stiffens the fabric and I lost a little of the fuzzy nap but there was still some variation in the color, which I liked.

Draw the petals on the backside of the fabric (just so you won’t see the markings when you’re done).

I only used 5 petals (10 in total) because I wasn’t sure how thick the topper would wind up. You could probably add more, depending on the thickness of the fabric.

Here’s a little pattern, just in case you’re not comfortable drawing your own.

I wasn’t sure how opaque the glitter paint would be on the burlap so I applied some red paint first.

Then paint the glitter paint over the red paint. With a paint brush.

I made the mistake of using the fine tip point that I used for the lettering on the PB Knockoff. Big mistake.

The fine tip makes the paint dimensional. Which I thought was pretty cool, until I set it down to dry.

Big, big mistake. It takes a while for it to dry and you can’t set it on it’s end because it’ll drip.

Needless to say, I only did a small section before I figured this out and quickly grabbed a liner brush and just smooshed the paint around the whole ring.

While the glitter paint is drying on the rings, paint some on each petal and allow those to dry.

Yeah, there’s a lot of drying time in this project so if you have little ones, or kitties, find a safe shelf somewhere. High!

When the paint is all dry (or, in my case, almost dry – whoops!) glue the first petal along the seam of the burlap with a low temp glue gun. Low temp, people! There’s a lot of pushing with your fingers, so it’s gotta be low!