As we are quickly learning throughout The Colour Issue, one of the quickest and easiest ways to add colour to your wedding? Start with the tabletop! Today, we’ve devised an easy (oh so!) tutorial to create your own colourful napkins to delight your guests and make your table settings really stand out.

Plain napkins in a multitude of colours are really easy to find nowadays, and all you’ll need is a little time and a little creativity to really customise this project and make it your own!

What You’ll Need

  • Assorted cotton napkins – I found mine on eBay, but you can also try op shops and catering supply stores, or make your own!
  • Fabric paints in your wedding colours
  • Assorted stamps in your shape of choice. Hot tip: Educational supply stores or Office Works are my picks for these! The stamps we chose are by a brand called Education Colours, and we found these online at MTA (along with the bright fabric paint!)
  • Paintbrushes and paint palettes
  • Iron

Step one: Wash and iron your napkins!

Step two: Selecting your paint, paint your stamp with your selected colour. We wanted our stamps to look more organic than perfect, so we could load up the stamp unevenly. You’ll need to use a roller if you want a more solid shape.

It’s always good to keep one napkin as a test run, so you can get used to how hard you need to press down, and test out how much coverage you want.

Step three: Get stamping! This is where you can get creative! We alternated our shapes, using the edge of the napkin as your guide. You could also use a roller or piece of paper if you’re wanting perfect lines. So for instance, we did nine prints of one shape, spaced in thirds, and then a different shape alternatively in between. When you’re done, leave them to dry completely.

Step four: When they’re dry, you’ll need to set them as per the instructions on your paint. Normally this just involves another quick iron on both sides of the napkin to make sure the paint sets and won’t rub off or wash away.
And you’re all done! Now? Time to set your table!

Ms Zebra Says: How cute are these? Plus, you or your guests can certainly re-use after the wedding – win!!