paper-napkin-rings

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In the craft world, there’s no denying the divinity that is Martha Stewart.

She’s converted homes into temples of clever creativity, where even the mundane can be made magical by a little embellishment.

Her products are equally transformational; they simplify the act of crafting and bring a dimension of quality to your projects.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a paper crafter who does not rave lyrical about Martha Stewart’s paper punches.

Not only are they well-made and sturdy, they produce intricate papercuts and add real flair. You’ll covet them all.

While owning the entire catalogue may not be an economically viable option for you, there are ways to extend the use of the craft punches you already have.

I found a fantastic tutorial on YouTube that shows how to get more out of your Martha Stewart edge punches (click here to watch). It also provided the inspiration for these punched-paper napkin rings.

Use decorative papers or upcycle co-ordinating bits of scrap paper for this project.

If you have a Martha Stewart deep double-edge craft punch like this one, you can skip steps 5 and 6.

Step 1

Step 1:

Start off with a strip of paper measuring 2″ wide and about 7″ long (while we use the metric system in South Africa, it was easier for me to use the imperial units on my cutting mat to measure out the strips).

Step 2

Step 2:

Slot the paper strip into the punch, lining up its edge with that of the punch. Use the picture as a reference.

Steps 3 and 4:

Punch down on the paper. Remove the paper strip and line the punched out pattern with the guides on the punch. Continue to punch along the side of the strip until you have about a centimetre of un-punched paper on both ends.

Step 3

Step 4

Steps 5, 6 and 7:

Flip the strip over and repeat steps 3 and 4. For a consistent pattern, make sure you start punching on the exact opposite edge of where you began in steps 2 and 3.

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Steps 8 and 9:

Use a craft knife or die-cutting tool to make notches on the ends of the strip. Double-sided tape works equally well to join the ends to form the completed napkin ring.

Step 8

Step 9

(Aologies for the inconsistent colour correction in the photographs. I shot these under low lighting and the processing was a bit of a rushed job.)