Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Best Way to Handle Family Napkins (at last!)

I have found it, people:  the perfect solution for keeping cloth napkins personalized for more than one meal!  It's easy for children to understand, fun to customize, easy to implement (you probably don't need to buy anything!), and above all, very very very cheap.

The clothespin.


I got the idea here, and while I admire the tags, the fact remains that I already have clothespins in my house and the children can handle them more easily than pins.

Andrea making the special Lebanese dumplings

I told the beach girls this genius idea, so that's what we did for the days we were together.

I have tried several solutions for our family napkins without breaking down and buying personalized metal napkin rings.  I'm tickled with this cheap, effective solution!

Dumplings in their yogurt sauce - I'll pass on the name and the recipe when I get it from Andrea.

Now I'm off to turn out the napkin drawer and get rid of the latest try for napkin rings, whose Sharpie-d initials have been rubbed off.  Pfff.  I've got clothespins now!

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12 comments:

  1. JacintaAugust 15, 2012 at 7:27 AM

    YES! Great idea. My friends and I were just talking about napkins and how to make them personalised. Hubby's family all had their own napkins (there were 8 kids) so each had their own napkin ring - every one was different. A few were the same wooden ones which they engraved their name / initial on it. Anyway. Have a good day lovie. xo

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  2. Sew Blessed Maw [Judy]August 15, 2012 at 10:20 AM

    What a smart fun idea.. And if one breaks..so easy to find another one in a sec..ha
    Bet the kids love the idea too.

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  3. bethAugust 15, 2012 at 10:38 AM

    I use clothesins for everything!!! YOU've just added another GREAT idea for me to implement! Thanks! They're also fun for your kids to decorate with paint or pens.

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  4. MargoAugust 15, 2012 at 11:29 AM

    Beth, oh yes, we will be decorating them!

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  5. HazelAugust 15, 2012 at 3:14 PM

    Brilliant! Off to find some wooden clothes pegs...

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  6. jodiAugust 16, 2012 at 12:07 AM

    That is such a fabulous idea for keeping the napkins in order! I always want to do little things like that when we have dinner guests over too, so maybe I'll add a few clothes pins with guests names for the next time we have dinner guests. :)

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  7. loves2spinAugust 16, 2012 at 6:39 AM

    Refreshing idea!!!

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  8. UnknownAugust 16, 2012 at 12:32 PM

    Great idea! Or you could write their initials in the corner of the napkin?

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  9. PollyAugust 16, 2012 at 1:53 PM

    Sheer genius. I will be doing this.

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  10. MargoAugust 16, 2012 at 8:17 PM

    Nancy, I like the idea of embroidered or monogrammed napkins, but I know someone's napkin would always be dirty and unavailable for a meal.

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  11. Sarah BarryAugust 17, 2012 at 10:05 AM

    I want to convert to cloth napkins!!! But my little people leave me no time to sew. Sigh. One day.

    The clothes pin idea is genius.

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  12. MargoAugust 17, 2012 at 2:10 PM

    Sarah, I didn't sew any of our cloth napkins. I pick them up secondhand at thrift stores and such for pennies.

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