MacKenzie Childs Napkin Ring Dupe DIY

Do you appreciate a good dupe or knock-off at the fraction of the cost of the original? Well, who doesn’t right? That’s exactly what we are going to do today with this MacKenzie Childs napkin ring dupe DIY. The Courtly Check is my favorite pattern by MacKenzie Childs and today I will share a technique to reproduce the look.

This knock-off project is easy, economical and looks fantastic. More than enjoying the crafting process for myself, I love, love to share craftiness with others who enjoy it too. Please join me as we get cratiy.

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Inspiration for the MacKenzie Child Napkin Ring Dupe

I found these white ceramic napkin rings at a thrift a few months ago and for 25cents each, I knew they would make the perfect canvas for a napkin ring DIY. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was working on the Nevermore Tablescape project for Halloween, and it just clicked.

I was inspired to replicate the Courtly Check pattern for the table since I liked the play of plaids and checks from the napkins ring, to the highball glasses and the fabric plate chargers. And here we are!

How to Create a Mackenzie Childs Napkin Ring Look Alike

Using a black acrylic paint pen and a gold brush pen really facilitates this project. I have included both in the shopping section for your convenience if you want to use the exact same ones I used here. Study and inspect the real MacKenzie Child Courtly Check pattern to understand the look you are trying to achieve.

Supplies

• Plain White Napkin Rings
• Thin Painter’s Tape
• Black Acrylic Paint Pen
• Gold Leaf Pen
• Nail Polish Remover
• Cotton Swab

Tools

• Scissors
• Thin Paint Brush

Crafting Pro Tip: Read all the instructions through once and then re-read everything again. This way, you are familiar with everything you need and know what to expect.

Instructions

• Read instructions thoroughly and assemble all supplies & tools
• Remove any tags, stickers from napkin rings and clean thoroughly
• Adhere a strip of painter’s tape centered around the entire ring horizontally
• Adhere strips of painter’s tape vertically alternating to form squares, using a piece of tape to measure alternating distance
• Make sure all the tape is adhered properly and secured to ring, removing any gaps and air pockets

• Using black acrylic paint pen go around painter’s tape to form squares and fill in each square fully
• Work around entire ring until all exposed surfaces are covered in black paint
• Set aside to allow paint to dry fully
  

• Once paint is fully dry, remove painter’s paint
• Use paint pen to form squares completing checkered pattern
• Fill in alternating squares to complete the full checkered pattern
• Set aside to dry completely

• Once black paint is dry use gold brush pen to color the edge of the napkin ring, including the outside edge and the edge where.the check pattern meets the edge of ring
• Allow gold edging to dry and set
• Using gold pen add some gold details around some of the black checks to add just a subtle shadowing, using a cotton swab to adjust intensity of gold (you can use thin paint brush here if you prefer)

• Voila! Enjoy your MacKenzie Childs Napkin Rings dupe on your next table setting!

Tips & Recommendations to Keep In Mind

Imperfect Design is Your Friend Here

If you inspect the Courtly Check pattern closely you see it has a distressed effect with imperfections and not totally symmetrical checks. This allows freedom as you are painting the checks and adding the gold shadowing. Note the gold accents are not on every check, but simply scattered randomly with no particular pattern. All these perfect imperfections provides freedom and alleviates stress. All the lines don’t need to be perfectly symmetrical and l left some blemishes on purpose to add to the distressed effect..

Easily Fix Mistakes

If you get paint on an undesired area or if something inadvertently smears, the paint pens clean up easily. For much of it I simply used my finger, a paper towel or a cotton swab to remove the paint spots. You can also dip the swab in nail polish remover for a little extra strength. This is a good way to clean up any gold paint which might smear on the inside of the ring as you finish off the edges. I believe alcohol can be substituted for the nail polish remover as well, but I did not use it personally, so I recommend testing it first just in case.

Plain White Canvas Works the Best

The MacKenzie Childs Courtley Check napkin. rings are enamel, while mine are ceramic, but other materials can work as well. Plastic or wood would work just as well. The trick is to create the relaxed checks and gold trim, which makes the look. If the napkin rings you find are not white do not fret, you can simply paint them white first and start tutorial from there. It’s an extra step, but at a minimal cost and time.

Thrifting for the Win

I found these ceramic napkin rings while thrifting a while back. You can see a picture of my haul below. Although I did not know exactly what I would use them for, I did know they made a great base for a napkin ring DIY. For 25cents each it was a no brainer. I am so happy I picked them up, since I love how this DIY dupe turned out. Always trust your gut while thrifting.

Compare & Contrast

Before & After

The white napkin rings were great all on their own. Good quality ceramic with clean lines and a neutral color, which can mix and mingle in many table settings. But, and it’s a big but, the glow-up dupe brings them to another level. You can see the before and after below and you would never know.

Real vs. Dupe

Here you can see the MacKenzie Childs Courtly Check napkin rings next to my dupe. The set of four MCK napkins rings retail for $89.95 (not including sales tax or shipping), while my dupe cost less than $10 for a set of four. For a few hours of DIYing that’s worth the savings, wouldn’t you say? It provides the vibe and look at a fraction of the cost.

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Closing Thoughts

Although I initially used these napkins rings for a Halloween project, they can be used all year long. I actually have black and white projects scheduled for Fall, Christmas and maybe New Year’s Eve so stay tuned. The Courtly Check is a classic look and we have some display pieces in our kitchen, which are special since they can be spendy. A dupe is the perfect solution to still enjoy the look.

I hope this inspires you to create your own knock-off or dupe of a coveted item. it’s incredibly satisfying to achieve the look for less. Thanks for dropping by today and can’t wait to see you next time.  Au revoir!

Shopping the Look

• These would be perfect for the project, making the edged beads gold to make them pop! Porcelain Napkin Rings Beaded Napkin Rings 
• These are the black paint pens I used – Highly Recommend Black Paint Pens Paint Markers – Permanent Acrylic Markers 2 Pack, Water Based, Quick Dry
• These are the gold brush paint pens I used – Highly Recommend 2 Gold Dual-Tip Acrylic Paint Pens – Multisurface Metallic Markers for Glass, Rock, Fabric, Wood, Plastic & More 
• Here’s the Real Deal MACKENZIE-CHILDS Courtly Check Enamel Napkin-Ring Set, Black-and-White Napkin-Holder Ring for Cloth Napkins, Set of 4

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