The hobby of was popular in the 18th Century
among young women, including Marie Antoinette and her
friends. Artwork, rather than magazines, napkins or paper,
were used to decorate fans, boxes, or furniture. It's amazing
that we still love decoupage in 2003! However, it's much
simpler and inexpensive for us. Any paper or fabric, as long
as it's not too thick can be used. The thicker the paper the
more finish you will have to apply. Some very advanced
projects require up to a 100 coats of finish! Most projects
only receive 2-3 coats, so don't worry.
Here are some tips for successfully using simple decoupage:
Almost any smooth surface can be decoupaged such as wood,
paper mache, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic, or ceramics.
ALWAYS make sure your surface is clean. Clean with soap
and water if you can, then wipe with a vinegar and water solution.
This works with glass, ceramic, plastic and NEW metal such as
a galvanized bucket. When you can't wash, wipe with a dry,
clean rag. Also wipe your project in-between coats of finish after
it dries.
When your surface is porous, as with wood, use a good primer
such as Kilz, which also can be used for clean metal with no
rust. Allow the primer to dry overnight before beginning your
project. If you do use an older metal object be sure to sand
the rust, wipe and paint with a primer/paint made for metal.
Your designs can be made by using color copies of leaves
or flowers. You can also use pictures from wrapping paper,
magazines, calendars, gift bags, wallpaper, tissue paper
and on and on. Anything that strikes your fancy can be cut
out and decoupaged onto a surface. My mom decoupaged
old can labels that she found onto simple cut pieces of scrap
plywood. She added a hanger on the back and used them to
decorate her kitchen. They looked great!
There are many brands of decoupage glues available. They
will have instructions on how to use them on the bottle. For
very simple projects you can mix 2 parts clear drying craft
glue with 1 part water. Always work carefully and slowly.
Smooth out your pictures, and remove the extra glue with a
damp cloth or sponge, while smoothing out any air bubbles.
When you have finished the gluing and it has dried according
to instructions, you'll need to finish the project. You can use
a water based varnish, which won't yellow, or oil based varnish,
which will give a yellow tint to the project. This is great for giving
it an aged look. Pick a good, dry day to use varnish, or it may
dry cloudy or end up looking "textured". ALWAYS make sure
one coat is completely dry before putting on another!
When you first try decoupage try using recycled items and
scraps so you can experiment and not feel pressured by
using new items. If it doesn't turn out exactly as you wanted
it to, that's okay! Try another project. The more you practice,
the more comfortable you will become with the technique.
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a wife, mom to three kids and a freelance
writer. She is the editor/owner of Old Fashioned Living and sends out
two free email newsletters. You can sign up for them HERE
