Autumn Leaves Napkin Rings

Materials:

Makin’s Clay® White 120g

DecoArt acrylic paints: Golden Brown, black, Craftsmart paint - Hunter’s Green and Lush Foliage  Art-C Gold paste, or Inka Gold paste, Empty Toilet paper roll, packing tape 

Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine®

Makin’s® Push Molds - 39001 Leaves 

Scissors, needle tool, paintbrush.

Americana DuraCoat Matte or Gloss Varnish

Cornstarch 

Directions:

Fig 1 – Open one half of a 120g package of white Makin’s Clay®, divide this into two sections and add a small puddle of Golden Brown paint to a section and Lush Foliage ( pale green ) paint to the other section, and mix thoroughly.  Then, take one third of each mixed color and mix them together, creating a third color. Place all the mixed clay in a plastic bag while you prepare the napkin support. I used clear packing tape to cover the toilet paper roll, which makes removing it from the napkin ring easier. Then I marked one inch sections and cut them with scissors.

Fig 2 – Condition the remaining white Makin’s Clay® and roll a narrow, 1 inch strip on the #1 setting of the Makin’s Professional® Ultimate Clay Machine® The strip should be as wide as the paper roll sections. Place the clay around the paper roll, blending the seam. You can trim the excess clay with scissors.  Add texture to the white strip if desired, not much of the base strip will show when you are done. Use a soft brush to add cornstarch to the Makin’s Leaves Push mold, and using one color at a time make leaves to add to the ring. My favorite way of using the push mold is to push a small amount of clay, letting it squish past the mold, then use scissors to trim the leaf to the size and shape I want.  I find the leaves are more realistic that way, as the edges can be trim with scissors on an angle to make them appear thinner.  So my aim is not to fill the mold, but to have just enough clay to get the impression from the mold. I used many different leaf shapes from the mold, and make at least four of each color for variety. 

Fig 3 – Make as many Napkin Rings as you like, you should have enough clay to make 6. Let them dry over night, then remove the cardboard ring, and allow them to dry for another 24 hours before antiquing them. To antique, I used Hunter’s green acrylic paint mixed with Black paint and painted the whole ring, including the inside. Then I used a slightly damp baby wipe to remove the paint from the high parts of the leaves, as well as the inner ring. Change the baby wipe when it gets too dirty to remove the paint, you need a clean edge for best results. Let them dry for a bit, then add gold highlights with Art-C Gold paste if desired for a bit of sparkle. I used the gold paste on the inside of the rings as well. The last image shows one ring with the gold added and the bottom ring without. Let this dry for an hour, and then seal your napkin rings with your favorite varnish. I used Americana DuraCoat Gloss.

These are fun, easy napkin rings to make, perfect for your Holiday table!