Decoupage Love

Hello lovely people,

Decoupage—from the French word découper, meaning to cut out—is a craft or art form that entails pasting cut-outs (typically paper) to an object and then covering them with several coats of varnish or lacquer.

Decoupage is a fun and easy way to decorate just about any object, including household items from small box to large pieces of furniture--the possibilities are endless. Best of all, decoupage can be learned fairly quickly in just a few steps.

Here I am with a tutorial to three small projects.

Lets get started...

Get your materials ready:

• Select an object you want to decorate, and collect materials to decorate it with. 
• I have used the new range of Papericious decoupage papers (you have ten amazing prints to choose from and they come in 6x6 inch and 8x8 inch sizes)
• Tray and two boxes from my stash for the projects today. 
• You would be needing acrylic/chalk paints, flat bristle paint brushes,roller or squeegee or your old credit card, sandpaper,
• Decoupage glue.

Prepare the surface:

• Make sure the object you are decorating is clean and dry,sand it down to remove bumps and imperfections if necessary.
• If you want to paint it or refinish it, you should do this before pasting anything onto it.
• I am using chalk paints and acrylic paints. 
• Paint the areas where you wont be sticking paper.

Project I : SQUARE TRAY

I am using  Pretty Peonies with the tray.

• The new  Papericious decoupage papers are perfect with there gsm strength not too thick or thin for decoupage. 
• Use a paintbrush to apply a thin layer of glue onto your surface. Make sure you apply the glue evenly overly the tray base. 
• Cut the paper to required size and stick the decoupage paper in place and let dry. Since the Papericious glue is very tacky you have ample time to adjust the paper to perfect position. Use a squeegee to remove any air bubbles.Let dry. 
• If there is some extra decoupage paper around, you can trim it with a paper cutter or use a sand paper for a cleaner look.
• I used the Kaisercraft script stamp on the outer edge of the tray with ranger Sepia archival ink.
• To finish and seal the project I used Asian Paints Aquadur wood varnish. 

Using a sealant: 

When the sealant is dry, sand it with  sandpaper to remove imperfections. Use a damp cloth to remove residue from sanding. Do not sand until you have enough coats of sealant to completely cover the underlying surface. If you are not satisfied with one coat of varnish, give 2-4 hours drying time before applying a second coat. 

I have used the Hakasons resin to coat the tray bottom to give a glass finish to it. While using any brand resin its must to follow the instructions on the pack as every resin brand have different mixing ratios for resin and hardner. Mix it thoroughly and let it cure. Pour the resin slowly to avoid any bubbles appearing. If any bubbles do arise use a straw to blow out the bubbles. Please be careful while working with resin and wear gloves, mask, shades to protect yourself. 

Every resin takes 18-24 hrs to dry. Keep the tray at a leveled position till it dries completely.

Project II  : HEXAGON TRINKET BOX

• For this box also I used the  Pretty Peonies decoupage paper. I totally loved this print so had to use it to the last inch.
• For this have trimmed the paper sized to the outer edges of the box and the inside of the box.
• Painted the hexagon with pearl pink chalk paint and the edges using a darker shade acrylic paint.Its just perfect for a cute little trinket box. 
• The lid has resin finish. 

Project III : SQUARE BOX 

The steps of the decoupage remains same. I have given this box a distressed finish.

Getting this finish is easy specially with chalk paints and Papericious has some very gorgeous chalk paint shades. I am sure you would love playing with them. Another reason why I personally love chalk paints is they have non tacky powder finish to them when dry as compaired to other paints. For this box I have used the Blue Roses decoupage paper.

 

                 

• For this box I have mixed small quantity brilliant purple and blue violet acrylic paints with the country grey chalk paint  for the base coat of the box.
• Let dry. 
• Used white chalk paint for the top coat of the box.
• After the chalk paint layer dries completely(approx. 2 hours), sand it unevenly till you get the desired look using a sandpaper/sanding block.
• Use a brush to dust away all the residue.
• Seal it using the sealant to achieve the perfect look. 

Hope you would try your hands Decoupage.Leave any queries in comments. 

Supplies Used:

Papericious Heavy White Gesso

Decoupage paper- Blue Roses

Decoupage paper- Pretty Peonies

Chalk paint - Country Grey

Chalk paint - Pearl Pink