These are perfect for adding a personal touch to your holiday table. Whether you personalize them with initials, seasonal shapes, or patterns, they make thoughtful gifts perfect for hosts, crafters, or anyone who loves a beautiful, homemade detail.
1. Start by rolling out a long strip of clay onto parchment paper. Make sure it’s not too thin and flimsy, ideally no less than ¼ inch in thickness.
2. Use a knife to cut a strip approximately 1 – 1½ inches wide—it can be as long as you want at this stage!
3. Place embellishments roughly in the center of the rectangle, and press. These can be letters, floral imprints, or you can keep it plain and paint a design after drying.
4. Once you’ve made your personalization, wrap the strip around a circular object in order to make a tube shape. (Tip: If you don’t have anything that’s the right size or shape, you can roll some tin foil into a sausage shape and wrap your clay around that.) Cut the excess clay so there is a slight overlap, and carefully remove it.
5. Once removed, use water or slip to smooth down the overlapping edges until they are completely joined. Try to keep the thickness of the clay even (you may need to use the spatula to cut any excess off the top or bottom).
6. Leave the clay to dry for 24 to 48 hours. Once it’s dry and you can no longer see any dark patches of wet clay, you can lightly sand the edges and surface to remove any lumps, bumps, or roughness.
9. Brush off any dust before painting with an acrylic paint, or simply keep the natural color if you’d like.
10. Seal your project, and your napkin holder is complete!
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