The words ’99 cent store’ and ‘doily’ might be two of Brian’s least favorite things to hear, and they certainly aren’t getting me that romatic impromptu date night i was promised, but HGTV.com asked me to take the DIY challenge with ingredients ONLY from the 99 cent store, i said, ‘Did you meet me in college?Have you any idea how broke i used to be?’. I’m VERY comortable, nay, happy shopping in junk stores. Hell, i love shopping at the dump.
The challenge: to take something that is 99 cents and make it look like a million dollars. Possible? Um, NO, definitely not. But maybe I could make it look like $18 – $37. So that’s what i shot for.
So introducing: a 99 cent DIY cloth doily bowl/sculpture.
Ingredients:
Wax paper, blue cloth doilies (they come in packs of 2), 2 plastic bowls to create the mold, a paintbrush and a little cheap bowl for the glue/water mixture. So easy. All of that was at the 99 cent store, for like $5 total.
Step 1. Coat the doily in watery glue.
Put the glue in a bowl add some water (equal parts maybe) and brush it on. Just make the water runny, not totally watery but almost watery. Sorry, that is totally abstract and certainly not detailed at all. This is why i’m a terrible cook – i ‘eye’ everything and ruin most meals. Deal with it. I’d be the worst bomb disarmer ever.
Line the bowl with wax paper then put the wet with glue cloth doily in said bowl.
Add another layer of wax paper and another identical bowl to fully create the ‘bowl’ shape. Press down firmly but not too aggressive.
Let it dry overnight, or just til its totally dry. It could be 4 – 12 hours or less…..
I’d be the worst doctor. I’d be all ‘hey maybe take some of these pills, 1 – 4 or so a day, i don’t really care, for a couple days, or more, depending on stuff’.
But this thing is so easy to make that you kinda can’t mess it up. I mean, i didn’t. I actually really like it.
Viola! Kinda pretty and sculptural, and since its in navy blue (instead of white or something more predictabe) it isn’t overly ‘crazy grandma’. It’s like that hip grandma that looks like she was once a PBS art teacher, but she also wears structured jackets and sexy camisoles.
So what do you use it for? Not watermelons. Not bowling balls. Maybe pretty thread, hair accessories? What i use it for is my collection of vintage matchbooks that i’ve been hoarding. As one does.
I know i didn’t invent the doily bowl, but i did make it myself and i actually love how it turned out. Its like when you dress up the understated indie nerd and put him in a vintage slasher t-shirt, worn levi’s and a cardigan with patches on the elbows. He turns cute (and hot) really, really fast.