Pretty paper doilies are available in an assortment of shapes and sizes – and they cost just pennies apiece. Their lacy patterns and clean white look make them a wonderful foundation for Valentine’s Day crafts projects.
Pick out your favorite doilies at supermarkets, kitchenware stores or crafts shops, and use them to adorn gift wrap, note cards, candy and other tokens of affection.
Lacy gift wrap
Doilies stand out nicely against solid-colored paper on gift boxes. For this project, use heart-shaped or round doilies that are about the size of coasters. (Or cut out the shapes of your choice from larger doilies.)
1. Cover a gift box with pink or red wrapping paper.
2. Wrap a contrasting shade of ribbon (or a band of tissue paper) lengthwise around the box, covering the seam of the gift wrap on the bottom.
3. To attach a doily to the box, thread a length of narrow ribbon through two opposite holes in the cutwork. You can do this with one doily, or you can thread together several to span the length of the box.
4. Position the threaded doily on top of the box, and wrap the ribbon around the box, fastening the ends with clear tape.
5. For extra embellishment, glue heart-shaped cutouts onto the doily or use rubber stamps to spell out terms of endearment.
Heart-shaped clips
Heart-shaped clips are perfect for sealing Valentine’s Day goody bags filled with edible treats. (If packing baked goods, be sure to wrap them well in plastic first so that they won’t stain the bags.)
You can use doilies as stencils to paint lacy patterns on the clips.
1. Center a doily over a square of pink or red card stock. Using an artist’s paintbrush and a contrasting shade of gouache (opaque watercolor), paint over the cutwork of the doily, transferring an image onto the card stock. Leave the doily in place until the paint is dry. 2. Carefully peel off the doily. Draw a heart on the card stock’s painted surface. Cut out the heart, and glue a wooden clothespin to the back. Let dry.
3. Trim the top of a red, pink or white gift bag with scalloping scissors or pinking shears to give it a decorative edge. Seal gift-filled bags with heart-shaped clips.
Valentine’s Day cards
Floral shapes cut from doilies make a beautiful “bouquet” to decorate the cover of a homemade card. And unlike the real thing, paper posies won’t wither in a week.
1. Using a utility knife, cut floral shapes or circles from doilies.
2. Arrange the shapes – in the form of a bouquet or a wreath – on the front of a folded piece of red or pink card stock and glue them into place.
3. Cut stem or leaf shapes from green card stock and glue them below the flowers.
Sweet somethings
Customized wrapping makes a gift twice as sweet.
For chocolate bars: Remove the outer paper wrapping, leaving the silver or gold wrapping in place. Rewrap bars with pink or red decorative paper, leaving the shiny paper exposed at ends.
Cut a wide strip from a rectangular doily. Wrap the strip around the length or width of a bar, securing it with tape or colorful ribbon.
For individually wrapped square chocolates: Cut tiny shapes – hearts, snowflakes, medallions and flowers – out of doilies. Tape them onto candies.
For small red cinnamon candies: Fill a clean jar (preferably one with a red lid) with candies. To make a label, use a glue stick to paste a doily to a square of red card stock. When the glue is dry, cut out a heart shape.
Punch a hole near the top of the heart and thread with waxed pink or red twine. Use the solid side of the label to write a note.
Valentine’s Day crackers
Paper crackers, normally used in England as Christmastime party favors, can be adapted for Valentine’s Day gift-giving.
Roll rectangular doilies around small gifts, forming a cylinder. Gather the paper at each end of the cylinder and tie with narrow red or pink ribbon.
Questions should be addressed to Living, care of The New York Times Syndication Sales Corp., 609 Greenwich St., 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10014-3610. E-mail to: living@nytimes.com.
2005 MSLO LLC
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