How to Make an Elegant Easter or Christmas Doily Bowl Centerpiece

This is an easy and fun project to do, and your guests will be amazed when they learn that you made it. Although it is simplistic, it has elegance worthy of any table. It is especially attractive and impressive when displayed on the table with matching favor bowls.

You will need:
1 large crocheted doily, available at craft stores, and some dollar stores.
One small doily per favor required
Fabric stiffener or liquid starch
Wax paper
Narrow ribbon
Large plastic or glass serving bowl, with at least a two inch smaller diameter than that of the large doily.
Small plastic or glass containers for favor bowls, if desired (I use caps off spice bottles)
Plastic wrap

Turn the large bowl upside down, and cover it with plastic wrap.

Set the large bowl (still upside down) on a sheet of wax paper.

Pour the fabric stiffener or liquid starch into an open container, such as a bowl or small bucket. Dip the large doily into the stiffening liquid; making sure it is completely saturated. Holding it over the bowl, wring out the excess liquid.

Drape the wet doily over the bowl. Firmly press down on all sides, to smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles. Flatten out the bottom edges. At this point, it will resemble a straw hat. If your doily has a straight edge, you may flute it as you would a piecrust. This is a very nice touch. I used marbles to hold the convex curves of the edges in shape while drying. Allow to set overnight to completely dry. Make sure the bottom (which is now on the top) is smoothed flat so the finished bowl will set well.

When the fabric bowl is dry, carefully remove it from the bowl. Discard the plastic wrap. Weave narrow ribbon in and out through the holes in the doily under the "rim". Tie the ends in a nice bow.

The favor bowls are made in exactly the same way.

For Easter, use yellow or green ribbon. One suggestion I have is that you line the large finished bowl with Easter grass and then fill with brightly colored eggs (real or plastic). Another suggestion would be to make a silk floral centerpiece arrangement, using a vase, rather than a bowl, as the foundation for the wet doily. (You probably could use live flowers, but would have to re-insert the vase into the dried doily after removing the plastic wrap.) If you are fortunate enough to live in a climate where there are flowers blooming at Easter time, you could also fill the bowl with water and float some flowers in it.

For a Christmas dinner party, I used bright red ribbon, and then filled the centerpiece bowl with pomanders I made from lemons, oranges, limes and cloves. I interspersed a few small red Christmas bulbs among the pomanders. The centerpiece was not only quite attractive; it smelled heavenly! I filled the favor bowls with wrapped Christmas candies. After the party, as the guests left, they were each given their favor bowl, (most of which were empty by this time) and a pomander. They were thrilled to be able to take them home.

This idea would also be ideal for Mother's Day, as it can be quite feminine and delicate looking. The finished bowl could hold silk roses and baby's breath, and the favor bowls could hold your choice of candies.

The uses for this type of centerpiece are numerous. It lends itself well to any type dinner or party; can be decorated to correspond to any holiday. In addition, will last indefinitely, making it reusable. You are only limited in its uses by your imagination!

An added bonus: Depending on the type of dinner or party, you can also give the centerpiece as a door prize!