A nice touch for any Thanksgiving dinner table is handcrafted napkin rings. They are relatively simple to make and something that the kids could easily do to help. It could be a great project for children to work on while the food is being prepared.

First, you need to decide which napkins you want to use; cloth or paper napkins. Roll the napkin to the size you want, allowing a little overlap for the ring to hold the napkin. To make the ring itself, either purchase them or create your own by cutting toilet paper rolls into the desired size. The cardboard rolls work especially well for napkin rings that stand upright, instead of lying beside the silverware. Then the fun starts. It’s time to decorating the napkin rings. There are many different things you can use including:

Stickers – Stickers are the quickest and easiest way to decorate the rings, especially for younger kids. There are many delightful holiday stickers available. The hardest part will be deciding which ones to use.

Paper Turkey – By gluing a simple turkey body to the ring and adding a few colorful feathers to the inside of the ring, you can create a delightful turkey napkin ring.

Indian Headband – To create a simple Indian headband napkin holder, use brown construction paper strips to make the rings and then add colorful feathers.

Pilgrim Buckle – Traditionally, pictures of Pilgrims show a wide black belt with a buckle (also found on their hats). This is easy to make into a napkin ring. Use black strips of paper for the “belt” that makes the ring. Then cut a square, with the center cut out, from yellow paper that is a bit wider than the strip for the buckle and paste to the Pilgrims belt.

Pilgrim Hats – Cutting out a simple Pilgrim hat or bonnet silhouette could make for cute napkin ring designs. If you want a 3D version of the black hat with the buckle, you could make the center of the hat from a toilet paper roll adding a brim around the bottom. Next, glue on a buckle made out of yellow paper and put the napkin in so it stands upright.

3D Turkey – To make a 3D turkey, make the body of the turkey from sections of a toilet paper roll, cut about an inch wide. Glue on the head and feet in the front and tail feathers in the back to complete the turkey.

Fall Foliage – Cut out some leaf shapes in different fall colors. Glue them all the way around the napkin ring, overlapping them slightly.

The possibilities to create Thanksgiving napkin rings are endless, limited only by your own imagination. There are many variations that could be created for fun and funky or lovely and elegant table accents.