>>Halloween Stuff

Halloween Napkin Rings
Courtesy of Reader's Digest

Description: Perk up your holiday table with these spooktacular Halloween napkin rings to make your setting frightfully fun!
Create spider, ghost, witch and cat napkin rings in the same way. "Empty paper towel rolls form the base," author tells, "which I trimmed with extras like colorful felt."


You Will Need:
Patterns below
Tracing paper
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Empty
Paper towel roll
Craft or utility knife
Scraps of black and white felt
Assorted two-hole buttons --- two 1-inch black for cat, one 3/8-inch black and one 9/16-inch black for spider, one 9/16-inch white for ghost and one 3/4-inch lilac for witch
3-inch length of jute string
3 yards each of black, orange, white and variegated yarn
Scraps of black six-strand embroidery floss
Black, red and yellow acrylic craft paints
Small paintbrush
Tacky craft glue or glue gun and glue stick.

What To Do:

Rings: With pencil and ruler, divide an empty paper towel roll into 1-inch sections. Cut apart with craft or utility knife.Trim with scissors if needed.

Referring to the individual instructions that follow for colors, wrap each ring with yarn. To begin, glue one end of yarn to the inside of a ring. Wind the length around the ring so that each new wrap lies next to the previous wrap. When the ring is completely covered, cut off the excess yarn and glue the remaining end to the inside of the ring.

Creating Creatures

Figures: Trace patterns onto tracing paper and cut out. Cut felt as directed on patterns.

Use the end of a paintbrush handle to dab a dot of black paint onto each hole of the white and lilac buttons for eyes. Center larger black dot below holes of white button for a mouth.

Dab a yellow dot onto each hole of the black 3/8- inch button and one black 1-inch button. Add a dot of black on each yellow dot for pupils.

For mouths, center a red dot below the holes of the painted 1-inch black button and painted lilac button.

Cat: Wrap a ring with orange yarn. Referring to shaded areas on patterns and photo below for position, glue ears behind the painted 1-inch black button and tail behind the unpainted 1-inch black button. Glue buttons to ring.

Tie a knot in center of a 3-inch length of black floss and glue to cat's face for whiskers. Trim ends to desired length.

Spider: Wrap a ring with white yarn. Cut four 3-inch lengths of black floss for legs. Stack the pieces and tie a knot in middle of stack. Glue knot to ring. Trim so each leg is 1 inch long.

Center and glue a 9/16-inch black button on top of knot. Overlap the bottom of this button with top half of 3/8- inch black button and glue.

Ghost: Wrap a ring with black yarn. Referring to photo (page 1) for position, glue white felt ghost onto ring. Glue white painted button onto the head.

Witch: Wrap a ring with variegated yarn. Referring to photo (page 1) for position, glue 3/4-inch lilac button onto ring. Untwist jute string and glue around top of button for hair. Glue hat over top of hair.

Finished size: Napkin rings are 1 to 1 ¾ inches high x 1 ¾ inches wide.