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Project Difficulty:
Easy
Estimated
Project Time: 2 hours, including preparing the acorns
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Acorns
Plastic-coated wire (we used brown)
Decorative ribbon
Drill
Very fine drill bit (just wide enough to make a hole for the wire)
Copper-colored "pony" beads
Faux cranberries (if they're strung on a garland you won't need to drill them)
Small-leaved foliage picks (optional)
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Hurry, gather some acorns before the squirrels hide them all! They'll bring the woodland to your table, these simple gifts from the forest floor.
Strung on wire between beads, berries, greenery and fancy ribbon, these lovely brown oak seeds make striking napkin rings.
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1.
Gather Your Acorns and Supplies
When hunting for acorns, choose those with attached caps, and discard any that look damaged or have small holes in them.
Do not store your acorns, as they may harbor small pests--proceed directly to Step 2 to eliminate dirt and unseen insects!
Also at this time, gather your supplies together.
(Fig. 1).
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2.
Wash and Polish the Acorns
Place your acorns gently in a colander and wash them in soapy water.
Pat each one carefully with a tissue and lay it on a paper towel-covered cookie sheet to dry (Fig. 2).
Select about four per napkin ring, depending on the size of the acorns and other materials. Cute as they all look, you must be picky now--try not to choose those with very small holes that could indicate insect damage. Perhaps the soapy water did the trick, but if a small white grub appears on your guest's napkin, your party may be a topic of conversation long after it's over.
Now, to enhance their beauty and further discourage leftover pests, pat the perfect acorns gently with furniture polish or lemon oil, and let them dry.
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3.
Drill the Acorns
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Put a very fine bit in your drill--it should drill a hole just wide enough for the wire to pass through.
Next, place some paper towels on your work surface to protect it from acorn debris.
Use pliers to firmly hold the acorn at a slight angle--with the pliers' upper blade on the cap and its lower blade on the acorn's bottom. Holding the acorn very securely, rest the pliers against the paper towels just temporarily so that the drill can "bite" into the acorn. Now, press the bit just under the acorn's cap, and drill (Fig. 3).
Caution: As soon as the drill bites into the acorn, raise the pliers from the work surface so that the drill can get through the acorn and out the other side (not into your table).
It's easiest to drill your acorns in sequence and get the drilling done all at once. However, resist the temptation to let your mind wander while repeatedly drilling acorns; always stay aware of the drill bit, and be careful not to catch it in the paper towels (this is the word of experience!).
If you don't have a faux cranberry garland (which means the cranberries have holes in them already), drill through your berries as well.
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4.
Thread the Acorns, Cranberries, and Beads
For each napkin ring, cut an 8-inch-long piece of wire and thread an acorn on it (Fig. 4).
Next, thread a bead, cranberry, bead, acorn, bead, etc. on the wire.
Finish your arrangement with a bead at only one end so that, when the ring is closed, the pattern will be continuous.
Do not fill up the whole wire; leave room at each end (Fig. 5).
Now decide how large to make your napkin ring; if you're adding greenery later, make sure to leave some room between the materials.
Join the ends by twisting together about 1/4-inch on either side, cut off the excess to suit, and push a bead over the junction (Fig. 6).
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5.
Add the Ribbon
Cut two 3-inch-long pieces of wired ribbon.
Fold each one over and over onto itself to form a narrow strip (Fig. 7).
Then slightly pull out the layers at each end of each strip to create a decorative accordian effect.
To connect the two strips to your napkin ring, cut off a piece of wire.
Thread it through one of the beads in the ring, and wire the two ribbons behind it in a slight "x" shape (Fig. 8).
Tuck in the wire ends and trim off the excess, if necessary.
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6.
Add Greenery, If Desired
If you like, wire silk foliage into each ring at several places to add color and texture (Fig. 9).
Now you can treat each special guest to this ring of autumn acorns, lovely as nature and crafted by hand (Fig. 10).
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