Popsicle Stick Napkin Holder: A Handmade Gift for the Table

An upright popsicle stick napkin holder keeps a stack of folded paper napkins standing neatly between two slatted panels. It is built from 28 whole craft sticks and a scrap of thick card, with no cutting of wood, and it is small enough to wrap and give as part of a table set.

The build has three flat pieces, a base and two side panels, which are easy. The part that needs care is standing the panels upright on the base, because that joint is the weak point of the whole design. Four small gussets fix it.

What You Need

• About 28 standard craft sticks, each about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) long, plus spares
• Wood glue for the upright joints
• White craft glue or tacky glue for the panels
• A scrap of thick card, such as the back of a notepad
• Scissors, pencil and ruler
• Wax paper and a heavy book
• Fine sandpaper or an emery board
• Stain or acrylic craft paint, and a brush

Craft sticks is the name popsicle sticks are sold under in craft packs. Buy them new, and measure yours, since sizes vary a little and every number below is approximate.

Parts, Sticks and Joints

Part	Sticks	Joint
Base panel	12 plus 2 cross sticks	Face to face
Two side panels	10 plus 4 rails	Face to face
Panels to base	None	Butt joint with gussets
Gussets	4 card triangles	Glued into the corner

That is 14 sticks for the base and 14 for the two sides, 28 in all.

Make the Base Panel

Lay 12 sticks side by side on wax paper and push them together against a ruler so the ends line up. Twelve standard sticks make a square about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across. Glue two cross sticks over them at right angles, each about 3/4 in (2 cm) in from an edge, so that every one of the 12 sticks is glued to both. Cover with wax paper and a heavy book until the glue has set. The cross sticks go underneath as feet, leaving a flat top.

Making a Side Panel

Each side panel is five upright sticks held by two horizontal rails. Lay one rail stick on wax paper and mark five evenly spaced positions along it: one at each end, one at the center and one halfway between on each side. The gaps come out at roughly 5/8 in (1.6 cm).

Glue the five sticks across the rail at the marks, with the rail’s lower edge level with the bottom ends of the sticks. Glue the other rail across near the top, about 1/2 in (1.3 cm) down. Check that the uprights are parallel and the two rails are parallel before the glue grabs, then press under the book. Make the second panel on top of the first, with wax paper between, so the pair match.

Keeping the bottom rail level with the stick ends matters. It gives the panel a long straight edge to stand on, instead of five small rounded tips.

Why the Gussets Matter

A side panel standing on the base touches it only along a thin edge. That is a butt joint, and it is the weakest joint in craft stick building: the glue area is tiny, and the tall panel acts as a lever on it every time a napkin is pulled out. Glue alone will hold until the first sideways knock.

A gusset is a small triangle that bridges the corner between two parts. Fixed to both the base and the panel, it turns the corner into a braced triangle that cannot fold. The article on joining and reinforcing craft stick structures shows other places where gussets and braces help.

Cut four right triangles from thick card, with the two short sides about 1 in (2.5 cm) long. For stiffer gussets, glue two layers of card together before cutting.

Mounting and Bracing the Sides

1. Mark the base. Place the base panel flat, cross sticks down. Draw two pencil lines across the sticks, parallel to an edge, about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) apart and centered. That spacing is a third of a stick length and suits a stack of folded paper napkins.
2. Stand and brace the panels. Run wood glue along the bottom edge of one side panel and stand it on a line with the rails facing inward. Prop it upright against a book. Glue two gussets on the outside, one short side flat on the base and the other against an upright stick, behind the second and fourth uprights. Run a little extra glue along each corner. Repeat with the other panel and leave both propped until the glue has set fully.
3. Add the napkins. Remove the props and stand a small stack of folded napkins between the panels.

Stain or Paint

Stain shows off the slatted panels and hides the pale card gussets less well than paint, so color the gussets with a marker or paint first if you plan to stain. The methods in how to stain craft sticks all work here; staining the three flat pieces before assembly is easier than reaching between the panels afterward. Leave the gluing edges bare, and ventilate the room when using stain or sealer.

For paint, two thin coats of acrylic craft paint cover better than one thick coat and are less likely to warp the panels.

Common Problems

• A panel leans. It was not propped while the glue set. Ease it upright while the glue is soft, or remove it, scrape the edge clean and glue it again.
• A panel wobbles. The gussets are too small or glued on one side only. Each must be fixed to both the base and the upright.
• The base rocks. Glue dried under a cross stick. Sand the underside flat.

Giving It as a Set

The base of the holder is the same 12-stick square used for easy square popsicle stick coasters, so the two projects match in size and style. Finish a set of coasters in the same stain or paint, stack them, tie the stack with twine and put a few napkins in the holder before wrapping.