Colorful Bird Napkin Rings

Looking for a springtime accent for your dining table?  Melony Miller Bradley crafted these delightful bird napkin rings by dipping unfinished wooden bird shapes in trendy custom dye colors she created using recipes from the ColoRit Color Formula Guide.  For added interest, she embellished the dye-stained birds with decorative buttons and ribbons.  It’s so easy and so much fun!

Living in a small town in south Georgia, Melony has been designing full-time for the creative industry since 2004. Her work has been published in national consumer craft and lifestyle magazines, including Women's World, Cloth Paper Scissors, Crafts’ n Things, Create & Decorate, Green Craft Magazine, Altered Couture and Somerset Life, Sew Somerset and Somerset Gallery.

Here's the Tutorial:

SUPPLIES:

• Rit Liquid Dye: Scarlet, Taupe, Sunshine Orange, Violet, Aquamarine, Kelly Green
• 4 Unfinished Wooden 1 ¾” Beveled Napkin Rings (Cupboard Distributing) 
• 4 Unfinished Wooden Bird Shapes (eBay) 
• 4 Unfinished Wooden Teardrop Shapes, 2 ½” in length for wings
• 4 Decorative Buttons or other round embellishment
• Rhinestone Chain
• Sheer Ribbon Scraps
• Black Pebble Beads, 6/0 size for eyes
• Assorted Rubber Stamps - Background Swirls, Small Sentiments, like “Wonderful, ” “Wonder,” “Blessings”
• Black Pigment Ink
• Tacky Glue
• Wire Cutters
• Burlap or Cheesecloth Scraps
• Scissors
• Optional: Clear Polyurethane

For Dyeing:

• Large pot for boiling water, 6-cup size  
• Glass Measuring Cup & Measuring Spoons
• 4 Plastic Bags, 1-Gallon Size
• Rubber Gloves
• Long Metal Spoon
• Long Metal Tongs
• Paper Towels

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place 4 cups water in large pot and bring to a boil. Turn off burner. Shake all dye bottles well before measuring dye.  Wearing rubber gloves, measure and mix dye with hot water in gallon sized bags, following these recipes from the Rit Color Formula Guide.  Stir dye solutions gently with a long spoon. 

Peach #115  (Yellow Orange Palette) 

• 1/4 Tsp Scarlet
• 1/4 Tsp Taupe
• 1 Cup Water

Blue Curacao #565  (Blue-Green Palette)

• 1 Tbs Aquamarine
• 1/8 Tsp Kelly Green
• 1 Cup Water

Peach #463  (Yellow Orange Palette)

• 1/4 Tsp Sunshine Orange
• 1 Cup Water

Orange #96  (Orange Palette)

• 1 Tbs Sunshine Orange
• 1 Tsp Violet
• 1 Cup Water

2. Separate the bird shapes, napkin rings and teardrops (wings) into four piles (for four napkin rings)

3. Place the piles of pieces into the dye baths. Seal top of bag and let soak for 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove pieces of wood with long tongs and place on layered paper towels to dry. Turn pieces over and let excess dye soak into paper towels.

5. When dry, ink the large background stamp with pigment ink and stamp surface of each bird shape (one side only). If desired, ink edges of wings with pigment ink. Ink edges of beaks with pigment ink. Let dry.  Optional:  Brush clear polyurethane on stamped wood and napkin rings as a sealant.

6. Assemble napkin rings by gluing alternating teardrop-shaped colored wings to birds. Turn wrong side up and glue napkin ring to backside of each bird.  Let set until glue dries.     

7. Cut tiny pieces of scrap sheer ribbon, two pieces measuring 2 ½” each for each napkin ring. Use pigment ink to stamp sentiment, such as “Wonderful,” on one ribbon in each pair. Glue ribbon pieces to wing as shown.

8. Glue small scraps of burlap or cheesecloth over ribbons on each bird.  Glue decorative buttons or round embellishment over burlap or cheesecloth.

9. Wrap rhinestone chain around each button and cut to size with wire cutters.  Use glue to attach chain to wing.  Glue black pebble bead to each bird for eyes.