Elevate Your Holiday Tablescape With A Toilet Paper Roll DIY

A good set of napkin rings is a small detail on your Christmas tablescape that has the potential to make dinnertime feel oh-so festive. Fortunately, it's possible to find holiday-themed rings for not much money ($10 or less) on Amazon or at the local Walmart. It's also possible to find the makings of them on your near-empty toilet paper spindle. And while that's probably not the first place you'd think of to look for materials to DIY some Santa-themed Christmas napkin rings, empty toilet paper tubes do have the potential to make your holiday tablescape as jolly as Ol' St. Nick's laugh while making it easy to decorate for Christmas on a budget. 

Many crafty napkin rings tend to be thick (about 1 ½ to 2 inches thick). Most cardboard toilet paper rolls measure between 4 and 5 inches wide. This means you'll get two or three napkin rings per TP roll. So, if you're planning dinner for a dozen, try to hold onto at least six cardboard toilet paper rolls. To work with the rolls in their raw state, you need a pair of scissors or a utility knife, a glue gun, and a pencil. A ruler might help, too.

To dress your Santa Claus napkin rings up properly, you'll need a few sheets of red felt. Details like fur on the collar and on the hem of Santa's coat come from cuts of faux fur, like DAERBOF Soft Faux Fur Yarn, while his black leather belt can be made from Nitelemn Faux Leather Sheets. To keep Santa buttoned up snugly, put Framendino Single Prong Pin Shoes Buckles on your supply list. Finally, it'll be helpful to have a leather punch when making these DIY decorations.

The basic process for these creative Christmas decorations is simple. You'll just cut the toilet paper tube into short sections and wrap them in some red felt and furry yarn to turn the napkin rings into St. Nick's torso. Cut each toilet paper roll in half or into thirds. Use a trimmed roll to measure out the fabric. You need enough felt to wrap all the way around the TP roll with no gaps. To keep the edge of the coat straight, cut along the edge of the ruler. Then, hot glue the red felt to the cardboard "Santa body."

Next, line each end of the TP roll with furry trim that you've made from snippets of the fuzzy yarn. It should wrap all the way around the toilet paper roll, just like the felt. Glue it on. Finally, make a belt for Santa's coat out of the artificial leather and the shoe buckles. You may find that using a hole punch, like the TICONN Leather Hole Punch Tool Set, makes punching a hole in the leather a little easier. Or, simplify by using black ribbon instead of the faux leather to make Santa's belt. Glue the belt onto the coat.

There is room for some creative interpretation with Santa's coat. For example, swap out the red felt for some patterned red fabric, like VACVELT Damask Jacquard Satin Fabric, or some red furry fabric. The presence of the belt and the white fur will be enough to hint at Santa's outfit while still allowing you to get a bit more creative with your tablescape and capture the nostalgic Christmas decor trend that brings special meaning to the season.