Things to Make With Them. Where To Buy Them. Ideas, Craft Projects, and Inspiration For Valentines, Handmade Greeting Cards, Envelopes, Tags, Decorating Ideas, Wedding Crafts and More!
I have been compiling a list of things to do with paper lace doilies. Here are some of the things I came up with. If you have done other creative things with them, please feel free to comment and share!
1) Use paper lace doilies as the basis to create your own Valentines Day cards and other greeting cards!
2) Use them to add a romantic touch to the table settings and decor at your wedding reception.
3) Use them to decorate for Valentine parties or other holiday parties.
4) Attach them to imperfect or damaged vintage Valentines to cover the flaws.
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) Make them into gift tags by cutting them out using a scrapbooking punch in the shape of a tag.
I have a "Whale of a Punch" tag punch by EK Success that I use for doing this, but you could use just about any tag punch. For that matter, you don't have to use a tag punch. You could use an oval punch, a circle punch...any punch that doesn't have a lot of detail. I've found that sturdier doilies work best for punching, though. Really fragile vintage doilies tend to tear or fall apart when you punch them. If you do accidentally tear one, just stick a sticker on top of the torn area. If you have vintage doilies that are imperfect (tears, stains, holes, etc.) then this is a great way to use them.
6) Make them into envelopes using an envelope template. Envelope templates are available in a variety of sizes. The larger envelope templates might be too large for use with smaller paper lace doilies, but they could be used with the larger placemat - sized doilies.
Shown at left is an envelope template by Deja Views. These envelope templates are available in several sizes, and are really versatile. You can use them for lots of things other than just making paper lace envelopes, of course. You can use them with plain cardstock, patterned paper or pretty much any paper that is sturdy enough to be folded into an envelope. Each template features a parallel lettering guide, plus a pattern for a card as well its matching envelope. The templates are made of C-Thru blue plastic, which is imprinted with instructions for both the envelope and card.
If you have a Coluzzle template cutting system, or a similar system that can make use of Coluzzle templates, there are several more options available for envelope templates. The Coluzzle mini envelope template set pictured at left is available from Joann.
I LOVE the mini envelopes because there are soooo many uses for them. If you scrapbook, then you probably have a good idea of how handy it can be to have little envelopes to use in your layouts. You can hold all kinds of ephemera inside them or use them to store papers with hidden journaling inside. Mini envelopes also come in handy for gift giving; fold a tiny note inside and then attach them to gift bags, presents, floral bouquets, etc.
Coluzzle also makes a larger envelope template. Scrapbook.com has the
larger one.
Then there's the Making Memories Card & Envelope template kit, which is pictured at left. These templates allow you to create a variety of cards, envelops, gift tags and more, using any paper you choose, including paper lace doilies or placemats or any other paper. The templates are constructed of a durable, high quality plastic. The kit contains 2 A2 envelope templates, 3 A2 card templates, 1 tag envelop template and 3 tag templates. So you could do both the envelope and the tag idea using just this one kit, plus your paper lace doilies and other embellishments & supplies. Pretty cool.
And one more envelope maker I found was the Kreate-a-Lope. I've never tried using this product, but it got great reviews from other crafters and card makers, and after having read the reviews, I think it looks great. I'm thinking of ordering one of these for myself, even though I already own a bunch of envelope templates; this one really stands out because you don't need scissors to use it, and the price is very affordable. Also, no tracing is required. The instructions are included, and reviewers say it is really easy to use and one of them even called it "foolproof". That is high praise indeed!
7) Cut your paper lace doilies into 2.5" x 3.5" rectangles and use them as the basis for art trading cards or ACEOs. Paint, draw, chalk, ink, collage, or alter on top of them to finish them off!
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Use either a circle cutter a large circle shaped punch to cut or punch out the interesting part of a photo, then mount onto a round paper lace doily before framing or adding to your scrapbook. (Works well with photos that need cropping for whatever reason.)
If you don't already have a good shape cutter, I highly recommend Fiskar's shape express. The Shape Xpress is the shape cutter that I use to cut circles and other shapes. It's really affordable and really easy to use, and it works well with a variety of papers (including both photos and paper lace; I've used it to cut both, with very good results). I love it! I haven't found anything better for the price. I do love punches too, but I think owning the ShapeXpress system beats owning a zillion punches in different shapes (takes less storage space, and ends up being less expensive considering all the different sized punches I'd need to buy.) However, there are soooo many other options for cutting circles. You're really not limited, considering how many die cutters and punches and shape cutting tools there are on the market these days.
You could also use this idea with heart shaped doilies and heart shaped templates or punches, too, although it might be a little bit trickier to match up the heart shapes.
OK, so hopefully these ideas will get you started. I do have more ideas to add to this article, and I will be updating it with more project ideas and more pictures soon. So I hope you will check back!
Where To Buy Paper Lace Doilies:
Adore Heart Valentine Card Pack by My Mind's Eye Each of these packs comes complete with 10 cards and envelopes suitable for making your own valentines or other romantic greetings cards. These are from the "Adore" Collection by My Mind's Eye. They are available for sale at A Cherry on Top Scrapbook Shoppe.
Small Pink Heart Doilies
White Paper Lace Placemats / Tray Mats
The Freund Mayer paper lace placemats shown above could be creatively altered and re-purposed in a variety of ways. Or, you could use them as intended; they'll add a lacy touch to a tray or table place setting. Click the photo above for more information.
HyGloss Heart Doilies, Assorted Colors, Package of 100
Lately a lot of people have been asking about pink heart shaped doilies, so I thought these doily packs would be of interest. There's a good assortment of different colored doilies here in this package, including pink ones plus red, white, and a couple of foil metallic colors.
Large Red Heart Doilies
Paper Lace Doilies For Sale on Ebay
You might find some good deals on ebay, too. You never know what you'll find! I've seen a huge variety of paper lace doilies for sale on ebay, everything from huge wholesale lots, to gorgeous vintage doilies, to ephemera lots that contain doilies plus other coordinating items, to handcrafted items made out of doilies. Especially be on the lookout at holiday times for vintage themed and printed paper lace doilies. Those are adorable and so much fun!
Here are a few of the paper lace doilies currently available for sale on ebay. You can click on the links below to visit the actual auction listings for more information, or to bid / browse / buy.
Dick Blick has fantastic prices on their doily packs.