A few weeks ago I attended the NY Tabletop Market Week at 41 Madison Avenue in New York City to explore the latest collections from some of the most innovative and beautiful names in dinnerware and entertaining.
Exploring the 27 floors of the building was pure creative stimulation — beautiful tablescapes, wonderful ideas, and unique entertaining solutions all under one roof!
Out of the myriad of chargers, salad plates, pasta bowls, fish knives, and Champagne flutes, an intricately stunning hand-painted collection caught my eye — Alberto Pinto’s Bahia Collection. I was immediately drawn to the whimsical array of feathers, the bursts of bright colors, and the delicate detailing, which inspired my next DIY project.
I thought to myself: What better way to celebrate the fall season, Thanksgiving, and the bounty of our land than a tabletop and DIY napkin rings that incorporate elements of America’s true heritage: the Navajo Indians!
Because I love any DIY entertaining challenge, I set myself a goal to bring the most iconic Southwestern motifs to my next dinner party, creating emphasis on simple yet ornate napkin rings. Here is how I made them:
Materials:
- Glue gun
- Wooden napkin rings
- Feathers (as a lover of color, I mixed natural feathers with dyed versions)
- Beads, buttons, and stones (I used some fool’s gold I’ve collected over the years)
- Scissors
1. Glue one end of the thread to the inside of the napkin ring.
2. Once adhered, tightly wrap the thread around the ring. You can have fun with this — keep it all one color or mix different colors of thread to create a striped pattern.
3. Using the hot-glue gun, adhere feathers to the napkin ring. Greatly inspired by the Alberto Pinto Bahia collection, I wanted to mix various feathers of different sizes and colors, placing them onto the ring at an angle. But if you’re looking to do something more elegant and monochromatic, try using natural pheasant feathers.
4. Cover the base of the feathers with some more twine, a button, or a circular piece of cloth. This conceals all the glue work and bony quills.
5. As the Bahia plate also resembles a bull’s-eye, I placed a piece of fool’s gold on the center. If you don’t have fool’s gold lying around at home, use a bead, a shell, or a stone. Adding this accent gives the napkin rings a more finished look and certainly elevates the design.
Set your table with a colorful runner, some fall blooms, and your DIY feather napkin rings!
SOURCE:http://www.marthastewart.com/1500697/diy-feather-napkin-rings-fall-tablescape