Bird’s Nest Napkin Rings – Easy and Budget Friendly
Hello there, how are you doing? For the past few months I’ve been hoarding saving our empty paper towel rolls. They always come in so handy and we’ve built up quite a collection 🙂 This weekend seemed like the perfect time to dig into that stockpile and turn them into these bird’s nest napkin rings.
Aren’t they just so adorable and they couldn’t be easier to make.
Okay, before we get to the “bird’s nest napkin ring” tutorial, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What You need to Make Bird’s Nest Napkin Rings
For the Napkin Rings
- empty paper towel roll
- scissors and glue
- pretty scrapbook paper and burlap
- a few twigs from the garden
- some feathers
To Make the Bird’s Nest
- Spray adhesive
- Coconut fibre/coir
We had a whole bunch of coconut fibers leftover from when we made our wine glass planters a while back, but you should also be able to find some at your local garden center or even pet shop. Just ask for natural nesting material 😉
How to Make The Base Napkin Rings
There are tons of tutorials on how to make napkin rings from empty towel rolls, so I won’t bore you with another one. Just cut the rolls into 5 cm (2″) sections, wrap them with a strip of burlap and then a strip scrapbook paper. I cut the burlap strips a little wider than the rolls so the frayed edges would peek out from under the scrapbook paper.
Finish off by gluing a few small twigs on to the covered rolls for the bird’s nest to rest on. Now to make the little bird’s nest and eggs.
How to a Miniature Bird’s Nest in Less Than a Minute
I know you can buy small bird’s nests at craft stores, but they are so easy to make, take less than a minute, and cost next to nothing too. All you need to do is take a small clump of coconut fiber and twist it out to form a strand about 10 cm (4″) long.
Spray the coconut fiber with some spray adhesive. Not too much just enough to make it tacky and then wind or twist the strand around your thumb to form a circle.
Keep a small “tail” of fibers and tuck it underneath to seal the bottom of the miniature bird’s nest. Squish the bottom of the nest so it’s nice and tight and voila, the nests are done. Easy right?!!
Putting it all together
I couldn’t find any egg shaped beads, so I used a few flat oval beads instead. Just glue two of them together to form tiny little eggs. You can also make some clay eggs if you can’t find the right beads.
To finish off, glue the eggs inside the nest and then glue the nest onto the twigs.
Add a feather or two, if you like, and the bird’s nest napkin rings are done.
I’m real happy with how they turned out. They add such a lovely rustic and natural touch and the only thing I had to buy were the beads. You can use the same technique to make larger nest’s too. Just wind the fiber or some grass around a round bowl instead of your thumb and you’ll end up with a life sized version like this one I used here.
All in all, it probably takes about 5 minutes to make each napkin ring once you’ve gathered all the materials. Not bad for a quick and easy craft that looks so cute.
Oh and you see those biscuits? Well I was planning on doing all these creative shots that involved the biscuits and the little nest but ended up eating them, so the photo above was the only shot I got 😀
Do you eat your props too? I would love to know what you think of the napkin rings. Is it something you’d try? It’s a great craft to do with the kids and the little bird’s nests can even be used in your fairy garden too. They’re pretty weather resistant.
And don’t forget to share it with your friends and/or save it to Pinterest.
Sharing is caring 😉
Oh and just in case you want to make a few for your next brunch I’ve saved you the hassle of trying to find some of the materials. Disclosure: If you click on the links below, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us fund our crafting habit ?
As always wishing you a lovely, creative and blessed week.
How did I miss this (I so want your amazing projects to land in my inbox so I don’t miss a thing)? These napkin rings are ADORABLE!!! This makes me want to stop recycling my TP rolls and save them for something like this. Pinned and sharing
Thanks so much Marie, I’m glad you liked the little napkin ring nests.
Gosh, Michelle! they are the cutest things ever! I would love to try and make them too! What a great idea but then again, all of your creations are!
Thank you so much Carolann ?
These sweet tweets look wonderfully high end. Thank you for this delightful tutorial. Have a fabulous day!
Thanks so much Laura and you too ?
Michelle, that’s too funny about eating your props! Well the napkin rings are super cute and creative, love it!!
LOL, those biscuits were just sooo tempting ?
Michelle! That’s so sweet! Musta been good biscuits! I like the way you created that little nest. I never would have thought of it, but the little faux pearls are perfect as eggs. Such unique little napkin rings. I’m so glad you got your site up running again. I’ve been checking in.
Thank you so much for checking up Florence ? I can’t tell you how much that means to me. When our blog went down it felt like the worst thing ever and then I realized I still have so incredibly much to be grateful for, like yummy biscuits and friends who care. I so appreciate YOU. Thank you
So cute, so different from what I have ever seen but also so chic! Pinned and I will make them next Easter! I love them Michelle!
Thank you my friend ? They’re so easy to make
This bird nest napkin ring looks really awesome. You are so creative, Mich. You really did a great job on this.
Thanks so much Angela ?
I really love this. This is truly nice and unique work. You are so creative Michelle. You really impressive me with your works.
Thank you Agnes, I really appreciate that, ALOT
I would love to have this napkin-rings, eggs are so cute. I thought you have created some artificial biscuits as well, but you had mentioned that you ate them. 🙂 🙂
LOL Sadhna, you know me and biscuits ?
This is so perfect for Spring! You’re amazingly creative I would’ve never thought of it lol.
Thanks so much Ashley ?
These are ridiculously cute!
? Thanks Claire, and ridiculously easy too
Gosh! The end result made me gasp with wonder. It looks SOOO good. Such attention to detail and what a wonderful idea. Loved it.
? Thank you Tanvi, I really appreciate it
These are absolutely gorgeous, your stocking up of the rolls was a great idea – I still don’t get how you do it though (you creative genius!) I could never look at a cardboard roll and invision, let alone make something so beautiful! You’d have no idea what the base is made of without being told. These are seriously so pretty, I could imagine them on a wedding table!
? Thank you Ithi. I kinda feel the same way when I see the miniature works of art you create. It’s just boggles my mind how you do it.
Michelle, these are so natural, beautiful and one of a kind. I think they are wonderful. Those little birds nests are so sweet. Pinning.
Thanks so much Leanna ?
This is such a creative idea and has a lovely rustic style look to it. A gorgeous craft indeed.
Thanks so much Elizabeth ?
I can’t believe how beautiful they are! And you definitely made it seem so easy to do 😉 But as I know from experience with my hands- all that can go wrong probably will 😉
Awwwww Karolina, thanks so much and you really should give the little bird’s nests a try, they are so easy to make
What a beautiful idea! Love the nest theme, I see birds everyday now, coming to my patio, to enjoy the flowers, it is so very springlike.
That’s good to hear Daria. All my friends up north have been complaining that Spring seems to be taking forever to arrive this year
That looks so pretty and is perfect for a spring table setting, Michelle. I love the upcycling of the paper towel rolls and the use of natural materials. Eating the props is just a kind of repurposing and we love repurposing, right? 🙂
You are the best Julia, now I won’t feel guilty about eating my props anymore ?
Aw how sweet those little nests are! What a fun idea and that birch scrapbook paper is perfect, love it!!
? Thanks so much Katrin. The little nest are so incredibly easy to make
These are adorable Michelle! I love the rustic natural look of these napkin rings. I probably would of ate all the biscuits, their wouldn’t of been any left for a photo. LOL
? Oh yay, someone else eats their props, I’m so glad to hear that
Michelle these have to be the cutest little napkin rings I have ever seen in my life. They look like little nests that the fairies from the garden have made.
? Those garden fairies of ours have been super busy. Thanks so much Mary ?
This is an adorable idea.
Thank you Debra ?