Pretty Pretty DIY Crochet Bowls!

Happy Saturday Everyone - I present to you my very first crafty DIY!

You will need:

crocheted fabric doilies

cornstarch

water 

balloons

in total the materials cost under $5

depending how much fabric stiffener you want to make - mix 1 part corn starch with 2 parts cold water to make a thick paste, then add 16 parts boiling water.

(i used 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup cold, 4 cups boiling)

this is the same recipe used for turning any fabric into wallpaper - 

but i dare not do that to the peeling walls in this apartment.

 blow up your balloons to the size of your doilies, while letting the cornstarch mix cool off 

so you don't burn your fingers ;)

when the mix is cooled, immerse the doily and get it coated in the gooey mess. 

then lay it over a balloon, smoothing out any bubbles.

let the balloon rest in a mug to keep its balance.

i also used a little bowl to make a smaller shape, but learned the hard way that i should have placed a layer of plastic wrap between bowl and balloon. oops.

let everything dry. (this took about 24 hours)

removing the balloons was trickier than expected.  at first i just poked a hole in the balloon, but the doily stayed stuck and warped in shape.  it worked much better to slowly pry the balloon away with my fingers while it was still inflated, popping it after. 

and voila! you can use them to store all kinds of little things.  i think they'd be really pretty filled with candies, mini ones as wedding favours or as centrepieces.

send me a link if you make them, i'd love to see yours.

oh! and an extra cool feature - if you wash the doilies out in water they will return to their original flat state.  which means i can put them in my suitcase and bring them to canada when i move :)