Crafty DIY Bowls
Updated on November 10, 2018
When it comes to crafting, we’re the kind of overly excited DIY enthusiasts who will make just about anything quite happily. We’re just about as content to do the basics with construction paper and scissors with our kids as we are to tackle the challenge of knitting an entire cabled sweater. Sometimes, however, it simply feels nice (and rather satisfying) to make something that has a little more structure and can be either put on display like decor or used a little more practically. That’s why we’ve been strangely interested lately in the idea of making bowls! Until we sat down and started looking at different materials and techniques that other crafters have used to make different mixing, trinket, or decor bowls, we had no idea just how diverse a craft it really can be.
Just in case you’re as interested in the idea of creating homemade bowls as we were, if not more, here are 15 of the most interesting and unique designs, ideas, and tutorials we’ve come across so far!
1. No-kiln-needed stamped clay bowls
Have you always been interested in clay pottery but you’ve just never yet had the opportunity to try it out in all its authentic processes? Then, like us, we think you’ll really appreciate the way Gathering Beauty outlines a way to at least mimic the styles of classic kiln-fired clay pots using more simply done air drying clay. We love the way they stamped a pattern into the inside and painted the indents with a contrasting colour!
2. Plastic perler bead bowls
If you were a young, creative kid in the 1980s and 90s like we were, then we have no doubt you’ll be very familiar indeed with the fun little chunks of crafting plastic called perler beads! Whether we were making them into necklaces and bracelets or melting them together with an iron into hanging ornaments of different shapes, we used them all the time as kids. Imagine, then, how excited we were when we discovered, thanks to Meaningful Mama, that you can actually make entire trinket bowls out of perler beads as well!
3. DIY sea glass bowl
Have you actually gone to great lengths to create a more seaside inspired aesthetic in your home so that you feel as thought you’re spending warm days on the beach at all times, so now you’re looking for a craft that will fit right in with that decor scheme? Then why not actually try making an entire decorative bowl out of worn sea glass? Debi’s Design Diary is here to show you precisely how that can be done in surprisingly few simple steps.
4. DIY raffia bowl
Maybe the aesthetic you’re aiming for is actually a little more rustic chic than anything else so you’re looking for something that’s clearly homemade and slightly weathered looking? Well, this lovely raffia fruit bowl that was hand wound in neat rows by Because I’m Addicted is the perfect example of what we mean! We love the way their finished product looks in the centre of their kitchen table, filled with fresh produce.
5. DIY metallic confetti bowl
Is your personal sense of style actually a little more flashy and attention grabbing than most of the designs you’ve seen so far and you’re hoping to reflect that in your home decor scheme as well? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Leslie Reese used some lovely looking silver metallic confetti to create a stylishly scattered looking bowl that’s perfect for storing bright candies in when you have guests.
6. Margarita glass elevated chip bowl
Are you actually in a bit of a pinch because you’re hosting a party tonight and you’ve realized that you don’t really have any good serving bowls for the chips and homemade dip you’ve prepared, but you’re still intent on serving up some kind of cute presentation that you’ve put together yourself? Then we’d suggest grabbing the nearest glass mixing bowl and a martini glass and standing the glass in the middle with the chips piled all around, just like Diana Rambles did here.
7. DIY sisal rope bowl
Were you quite interested indeed in the raffia bowl we showed you earlier on our list because you loved the old fashioned, textured aesthetic of the finished product, but you’d actually prefer something a little more hardy and thick, so perhaps you can build it from scratch rather than just embellishing on top of another bowl? Then maybe you’d get along better with this sisal rope version of a similar idea with little basket handles outlined in detail on Centsation Girl.
8. DIY fall leaf bowl
If you’re going to make something from scratch, would you rather create a piece that’s extremely unique looking and rather impressive to your visitors because it’s made from something unconventional? In that case, we’d definitely encourage you to take a look at how Hello Lucky made a stunning fall bowl from actual leaves that they collected in their backyard and sealed around the bottom outside of a pre-made bowl like a mould.
9. DIY abstract plastic bowl
Have the decor pieces you’ve made yourself before and loved the most always been things that look a little abstract and interesting, perhaps making visitors think for a moment about what they’re seeing or how you did it? In that case, we have a feeling you’ll get along very well indeed with this fantastic waving melted plastic bowl that Not Just A Housewife guides you clearly through the process of making. We can’t get over how interesting and unique the shapes you can create using this technique are!
10. DIY button bowl
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about DIY bowls made from unconventional and upcycled materials but, because you’re such a supply saver, you’d much rather make use of something you’ve got a lot of sitting in your crafting room rather than gathering supplies from your backyard, for example? Then we’d suggest taking a look at how Ideas 2 Live 4 created a whole lovely little trinket bowl by dipping into their spare buttons collection!
11. Gold leaf papier mache bowls
We’ve loved working with papier mache ever since we were little kids. It’s just such a fun technique and the possibilities for the shapes you can make are just about endless if you’re willing to make a fun mess and get a bit creative! It’ll come as no surprise, then, that these little papier mache trinket bowls featured on Kelli Murray were actually the first thing we tried making ourselves on this list! We simply adore the way they painted the inside with metalic gold and added little white polka dots for contrast.
12. Polymer clay ring bowls
Were you actually quite interested indeed in the idea of making little trinket bowls out of clay because you often find yourself needing a place to put little things like spare change and jewelry but you’re just not sure the stamped version we showed you earlier on our list is quite your style, since you often prefer a slightly more minimalist look to your decor? Then we think perhaps this little gilt-edged clay trinket bowl with a smooth inner surface, featured on She Wears Many Hats, will be a little more up your alley.
13. Lace doily bowls
Just in case the decoupage based and moulded technique designs have actually been your favourite ones so far but you’re still not quite set on one particular style yet, here’s a slightly more delicate looking suggestion featured on Design Sponge! We love the way they teach you how to created a lovely lace bowl from a lace doily by moulding it over the bottom of another, pre-made bowl in the size you’re looking for.
14. DIY sand drip bowls
Just in case the sea glass inspired bowl idea we showed you earlier wasn’t quite beach-y enough for you, here’s another awesomely unique homemade design that will remind you of the seaside and really impress your friends, all at once! Think Crafts walks you step by step through the process of making these fantastic “sand drip” bowls that, believe it or not, are actually made by… dripping real sand.
15. DIY string bowls
Before we sign off for the day, here’s one last Mod Podge based, decoupage style design for those who just can’t get enough of that classic, diverse technique. Check out how Tuts Plus made yet another version of the rope and string ideas you’ve already seen a few times, but this time in a looser, more stylishly haphazard way that will hardly ever look precisely the same as any other string bowl if you try to recreate the piece (which is all part of the appeal, if you ask us).
Have you made other kinds of awesomely creative bowls that you were very happy with and still use but you don’t see anything quite similar to what you created on our list? Tell us all about how you did it or link us to photos of your finished piece in the comments section!