DIY -Nonna Inspired Lace Bowls
Nonna Life pays homage to Italian grandmothers worldwide and is dedicated to highlighting the inherent craftsmanship of women of a past generation that, today, has the unfortunate chance of being lost.
One of these crafts that I consider to be an art form, really, is traditional lacemaking. The abundance of lace doilies freely adorned throughout our grandmothers’ houses may have, at one point, become to feel “dowdy” or “old lady” (as if that’s a bad thing!) but I’ve always loved the quaintness of them. My husband, thankfully, has accepted the reality of white lace doilies becoming a visual staple in our house.
I’ll perhaps never master the lace making skills of my Nonna, but I was interested in exploring what else could be done to incorporate these into our home decor, to make them a bit more functional - give them a new purpose.
Lo and behold the lace bowl DIY.
What you’ll need: Doilies, a bowl, plastic wrap, a stiffening spray.
Step 1. Gather some lace doilies! If you don’t have any on hand, you can buy some on Etsy from a variety of different artisans.
Step 2. Flip the bowl then cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Step 3. Place a doily on top of the bowl, it should simply fall into place, if the bowl circumference is the right size.
Step 4. Spray the doily with a fabric stiffening spray until wet to the touch. I used Stiffen Stuff - available on Amazon. I also remember Nonna making a concentrated sugar water to help stiffen fabric more naturally, if that’s your thing.
Step 5. Let dry for 2-3 hours (or overnight if you have time).
Step 6. Flip the bowl and the doily should easily come off the plastic wrap.
Step 7 (optional). If the bowl still feels a bit “soft” then spray lightly with more stiffening spray and let dry.
And voila! A perfect lace bowl, inspired by Nonna. I use mine to store my jewelry next to my bed, under a vase or to hold my DIY olive oil lotion bars (next up on the blog).
Nonna inspired gold hoops by Mejuri.
Is this a DIY you would try? Tag #thatnonnalife on instagram for a chance to be featured!