Decoupage Made Easy; Turning Junk into Treasure

Most crafty types of people know about decoupage, but not everyone has actually used it. Decoupage is an easy to use paste that places a protective layer over a surface. It is especially used with clip art on making items that you do not want the surface to be scratched. The decoupage that I am familiar with is available in a bottle and you can use a brush or sponge with it. It is quite sticky so be prepared with a wet cloth nearby for any accidents that may occur.

I will be the first to say that I like doing crafty things but sometimes it can be overwhelming and time consuming. Decoupage however can range from a few minutes to a lengthy project dependent upon your preference.

I enjoy using the decoupage technique to dress up items to make them look new, or vintage. One of the best projects I have completed was a camera box purse. These are highly available at garage sales, and even thrift stores. These are very cheap to acquire. You may even have one or two lying around the house. I chose to make mine with vintage era clip art. Another idea is an old school cigar box style purse. These will require more work as in drilling holes for a handle but that can be simply done. These style of purses can be very expensive to purchase and range in prices from $30.00 to well over $100.00. You can make one for yourself for considerably less.

Another great idea is to use the decoupage technique to decorate children's furniture. You can use clip art of your choice and place it on almost any surface. This is a great way to make old furniture look new and even custom. A fun idea is to make a game table with decoupage. You can cut squares and make a custom checker board, simply add checkers and players and enjoy. This is also a relatively inexpensive project.

Another fun and easy project is making picture frames. This can be done several ways, for frames without a backing you can use cardboard; this also works well for projects that will become magnets. Or you can use existing frames to add your own clip art and decoupage flair. However you do not have to limit it to only clip art.

Another project that I came up with was to cover my plant pot. I used an old black and white calendar and cut the images from the calendar. I decided what images I wanted to use before pasting anything. I laid them out and planned how I would place them onto the pot. Once I was sure that everything was the way I wanted it, then I began pasting the images one at a time.

The possibilities are endless with decoupage, you can use it on almost any surface and it comes in a few different options for various projects and surfaces.