My strange preoccupation with napkins

Long ago, I bought some pretty napkins at Ikea. Because I liked them so much I refused to actually open the package for quite awhile, and even when I finally did I used them sparingly. When I got down to the last two I set them aside (seems a little silly maybe, but I really liked these napkins!), determined to find some way to preserve them...


...which I did the other day in the form of this bowl.



I first got the idea after seeing a tutorial on making a lace bowl in the ReadyMade book, and then was again reminded of it more recently after seeing this project on DesignSponge. I went out and bought fabric stiffener, wondering if it would work on napkins.



And then I realized that I could use papier mache. (I'll try out the fabric stiffener on actual fabric next time.) I otherwise followed the DesignSponge tutorial pretty closely. You can find a good flour/water glue recipe here, although I recommend planning a few projects as it makes far more glue than you need for just one little bowl.

I had been seeking the perfect vessel for displaying these skeleton keys, and I think this bowl is the answer.