pleasure in simple things

It is that time of year…the time when we all wonder how the summer could be flying by so fast…and a time to try and pack as much summer fun into the remaining days as possible!

Today, I want to show you some DIY ways that I am making my summer entertaining more fun.  With meals that can include lobster, corn on the cob, and watermelon; summer fun can be messy!  I love to use dish towels as an inexpensive and practical napkin for summer meals.  IKEA is a great spot to pick up some dish towels (for less than $1. a piece!) that can easily be embellished to fit a summer party theme.

In a previous post, I made wrapping paper using an anchor shaped sponge.  Now, I am using it to add an anchor motif to a set of dish towels that I will use as napkins for a summer meal.  These are easy to create by simply dipping a patterned sponge into acrylic paint and applying to a dish towel.  Print the pattern a couple of times on a piece of scrap paper before painting the fabric…this removes some of the paint from the sponge and creates more of a ‘worn’ look to the anchor when it is painted; rather than a solid pattern of paint.

Be sure to put a piece of cardboard under the spot where you paint your design to protect your work table.  After letting the paint dry for 24 hours, use a hot iron or your dryer to set the paint.  You may want to use a paint specifically for fabric…I use acrylic paint that I already have – it has always worked well for me.  I find washing, drying, and ironing the fabric before painting it gives the best results.

Another way to add a motif to a dish towel is by stenciling.  I always make my own stencil from a piece of cardboard or baking parchment paper.  One of my favorite designs for summer is a watermelon…I love the graphic quality and the colors.  Another great summer napkin!

I can never resist adding a playful scattering of plastic ants when I am creating a watermelon designed item. :)

For something a little more formal than a dish towel, a linen napkin with a napkin ring is a great summer entertaining choice.  Like the dish towels, these napkins were purchased at IKEA.  I created a napkin ring by using a piece of rope and some Plasti Dip.  In the same way that I used Plasti Dip to create a set of seafood forks, I used it on some rope to create a really great napkin ring!  You can purchase a jump rope from the dollar store or use any scrap piece of rope you have hanging around the garage to make your napkin rings.  After tying a knot in each napkin ring, I just dipped it in some Plasti Dip that I had tinted pink.  I love the way pale pink looks with linen and Plasti Dip is easy to tint any color…I dipped each napkin ring into the Plasti Dip three times (waiting between coats as listed on the instructions) to achieve this look.

I decided to coordinate the napkins by adding some painted pink polka dots along the hem.

After looking around the house to find something to create the size polka dot I wanted, I decided a carrot was perfect!  I mixed the color pink paint I wanted and used a freshly sliced carrot to paint the polka dots along the hem of each napkin.

I hope you enjoyed these summer napkins ideas and are inspired to create some fun summer napkins of your own!

 Thanks so much for stopping by!  Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at City Farmhouse and Craftberry Bush.