doily votives ::guest blogger::

Dana from Let's Meet For Lunch is back today to share another cool diy project. Remember the flower picture she shared last time? Really fun and versatile. This project is just as fun and can be used for a variety of spaces and occasions.

Hey Sewing Barefoot readers! I’m so excited to be here today with a pretty cool idea for doily votives that could be used as a cute decoration around the house, or even for something more special - like wedding centerpieces. Sheesh, if I had known about Pinterest when I got married, you better believe that I would have done way more cool things... So here I am thinking of you in case you’re getting ready to tie the knot!


Before I start with the how-to, I have to tell you that I hate antique stores. It’s not that I don’t like old, cool stuff, it’s just that I hate sorting through all the random items that you find in an antique store, only to find maybe one or two things worthy of taking home. My mom and a lot of my friends think I’m crazy, but I’m just not cut out for it. I don’t know, I guess I don’t have the patience. Anyway, I had a really hard time finding fabric doilies for this project (paper won’t stand up to what we have in store for them) and was getting frustrated after going to every craft store in my area, plus WalMart and even The Dollar Tree. I told Shannon about my issue and she suggested antique stores. Duh!! So I found myself in one the other day - alone - and not as annoyed as I remembered feeling in the past. It was really easy to find these babies.... and there were tons more there to choose from. If you wanted to make a lot of them (and cheaply!) that’s the place to go!

Oh, and don’t forget to stop by my blog by clicking here to see what Shannon has whipped up in the kitchen! I can tell you I’ll be making it soon, that’s for sure. Ok, enough of my babbling - let’s get to it!

You don’t need very many things for this project - you’ll create a simple sugar starch with one part water combined with three parts white granulated sugar.

You also need lace, or fabric doilies, a few white or cream colored balloons, and....

An old shoebox.

We need to start by making the sugar starch because it will need to cool before we can work with it. I mentioned earlier that the mixture needs to be one part water to three parts sugar. I wasn’t making a ton of these, so I used ¼ cup water and ¾ cup sugar. It made plenty, since you don’t need much for each doily, but you could easily make a bigger batch. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat.

You want to stir it occasionally until it becomes clear.

Cool completely in a shallow dish.

Blow up your balloons to the size that you’d like your votive holder to be....

Then cut holes in your shoebox big enough to hold the balloons. I know, it looks like a 5 year old cut my holes. It’s all good.

Then dip your doily into the sugar starch, using your hands to squeeze off the excess.

Lay the doily gently over the balloon, forming it the way you’d like it to look, then allow to dry completely.

Pop the balloon, and voila! It’s a votive, ready for a tea light. 

Don’t forget to head over to my blog, Let’s Meet For Lunch, to see what Shannon has cooked up!

[p.s. this post may be linked up to any number of link parties seen here]