Just in case I caught you by surprise, I should tell you that in today's crafting/upcycling world at large, doilies are finally being given the recognition that they deserve! Maybe you thought doilies were just for grandma, but it's simply no longer the case! Crafters are using them in many inventive ways, and I actually crocheted this one yesterday to use for a project that I'll certainly share if it's a success. But when I spread it out to take this photo I almost wanted to forget about that project and just glue this to an orange canvas to hang as art.
So my friends, if you see some doilies hanging around at the thrift store, or you happen to have some, why not glue them to brightly painted canvases of different sizes and make yourself something great. And if you're like me, with no doilies in sight hanging out at the thrift store, so you can crochet some yourself! I found the pattern for this simple spider web doily here, and used baby weight cotton, not the thin string one usually uses for doilies, in light blue and beige, and you'll get a much bigger doily for all your efforts. (Note: my doily was very very wavy, and I probably should have used a large needle size, but after pressing with a hot steam iron, I was able to flatten it out, as you can see in the photo.)
So give it a try, either way! And by the way, they would look great appliqued to a pillow, or if made in fun colors, well you could even use them as doilies, imagine that!