Decoupage Your Own Decor

Decoupage is a true art form that's perfect for all of your home accessories and décor. This great arts and crafts project creates a complicated look that's not really all that complicated. Small pieces of cut out papers from magazines, tissue paper and even gold leaf can be used to layer decoupage into any design you like. After the pieces are attached to your favorite décor item, a few layers of decoupage lacquer are applied to the surface. This not only seals in the cutouts, it also makes it appear that the design is one smooth piece like a photo or drawing. Use this guide to decoupage and you'll be on your way to getting an affordable and adorable design on any home décor item in your home.

Prepping the Surface

Before you begin any decoupage project on your home accessories, you'll need to prep the area first. The area must be able to accept a glue to work. Plastic surfaces may need to be scuffed up with some light grain sandpaper to allow the glue to adhere correctly. Glass surfaces may need a quick acid etch with one part muriatic acid and four parts water. Acid etching is dangerous so use the correct safety equipment when handling this material.

Cutting out the Pattern

Materials like paper are easy enough to cut out and can be easily done with a regular pair of scissors. Paper conforms well enough to work with most decor and can easily wrap around round objects with ease. Stiffer materials like cardboard may need to be softened to bend around curved house décor.

Glue it Down

The medium that is used to glue down decoupage is as simple as it gets. Regular white Elmer's glue works great with most materials like wood or cloth. Some synthetic fabrics may require the use of special fabric glues. Wood glue can be used for most craft materials like ceramics, but some materials may require the use of special fixatives to provide a surface for the adhesive to bond to. Glue and place your decoupage materials on your favorite wall art and décor. Allow the materials to dry for 24-48 hours before applying a varnish. This way, if any decoupage materials peel away from the décor, you'll know you need a different adhesive.

Decoupage It

Once the paper is in place and your design looks good, it's time to cover it all up with a decoupage medium. A varnish or lacquer is commonly used to create the decoupage. Some decoupage materials are already premixed and ready to go. For a cheap alternative to store bought decoupage medium, wallpaper paste can work perfectly. Add several layers until the decoupage medium is flat and smooth across the décor. This may take many layers, so be patient and let each coat dry before applying another.

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Decopatch Step-By-Step Guide For Newbies

A Decopatch step-by-step guide is always helpful for newbies who are still starting on the wonderful hobby of decopatching. When embarking on a styling project with the use of Decopatch, you need to have the right tools and the useful supplies before doing the project.

Some of the most important tools include bristle brushes, the Decopatch papers, a special varnish or glue made especially for Decopatch and maybe some special coats that you might need for special cases such as weather proofing varnishes and others.

If you already have everything that you need and all the Decopatch supplies that you might be using for your project, it's now time for a Decopatch step-by-step guide. You will be delighted at how easy this project is especially when you consider how good the end-results are. Make sure that you fully understand these instructions before starting.

Begin by making sure that the object which you will be coating with Decopatch papers and glue is clean and dry. A dry and clean surface makes it easier for the paper to stick to the surface and will also provide a more beautiful result. You also have the option to paint the object to match the papers but make sure that the paint is thoroughly dry before starting.

Next is to cut out the patterns of the pictures that you want to Decopatch into the object. If you are going for patterns, make sure that you have everything planned out and visualized before starting so you will go on making the project with no distractions and errors. Before gluing, arranged the patterns you are decopatching in any way you want. Whether you want them to overlap or not is entirely your choice.

Work on a small section at a time to avoid any errors and to slowly but surely build your entire patching project. Apply a generous layer of glue into the item that you are pasting and make sure that you put an ample amount on every area that the pattern will be touching. A more efficient way to do this is to spread the glue on the back of the paper.

Once you have everything glued, let the entire object dry. After at least a couple of hours depending on the size of the object, coat your item with varnish or glue or any protective proofing of your choice. Apply several layers until you get your desired results. After your Decopatch craft has completely dried, it is now ready for display in your home or to be given away as a gift.

Katia is the author of a 10-page guide, "30 FAQ's about Decopatch". For your complimentary copy, visit http://www.paper2play.com - a website that specializes in provided craft related tips, advices and resources to unlock your creativity with Decoupage!

Decopatch on Furniture, A Unique And Interesting Way To Decorate Your Furniture

Are you tired of looking at your old furniture? Are you trying to find ways to make these old relics look new? Here is a perfect solution that does not require having to buy new furniture. Decopatch on Furniture, A Unique And Interesting Way To Decorate Your Furniture.

As time rolls by, we see changes in our favourite pieces of furniture. You see that same piece day in and day out. Wouldn't it be good to do something to spice up that relic? Are you at a loss as to what to do? What if you cannot afford to buy new furnishings? What do you do?

The answer is very simple. You can use Decopatch. This is a quick and easy way of making an old piece of furniture look new. You do not have to get rid of an old table because it's been there for a while. You can always do something to make it look new and unique. Decopatch can be the solution you want.

Decopatch is a piece of paper that can be used to accentuate your furniture. The paper is glued with a specifically formulated glue-varnish. Hence the paper can be attached to any surface. Decopatch is a very thin and flexible paper based material. It adheres to almost and surface and is pretty easy to apply. can be stretched and is very flexible. This makes it easy to apply to almost any surface.

Another interesting thing about Decopatch is that it also comes in various designs. You can use it to spice up an old piece of furniture. You can do this by using the different designs that are available. Each design is unique and gives your furniture a new and unique look. It does not stain or leave marks on the surface.

Using colorful and lively patches, your old piece of furniture gets a new look. This gives your furnishings a new original look that is entirely your own creation. You can now make a statement with your new piece of furniture, a piece that reflects your creativity and originality!

Katia is the author of a 10-page guide, "30 FAQ's to Help You Master the Art of Decopatch". For your complimentary copy, visit http://www.paper2play.com - a website that specializes in provided craft related tips, advices and resources to unlock your creativity with paper craft ideas!

How Can We Apply Decoupage to an Object in a Few Simple to Follow Stages?

Decoupage at the moment seems to be in style! It is used to swathe plant pots, cases, boxes, vases, bottles plus even candlesticks, to good effect. We regularly happen to come across it in souvenir shops while we are looking for presents along with the canvas art, candles, ornaments etc.

This really is not an expensive pastime, except you do require a degree of patience for this! Once you have grasped the idea there are unlimited bits and pieces that you could without a doubt cover. Therefore, with the various delightful papers that you can draw on for this, it is possible to make use of pictures like you observe on art posters, representing times from a different era.

Luckily enough, within craft shops, they do sell some lovely sheets principally for this. If not you may well cut up Christmas or birthday cards, magazine pictures, or, I suppose, even snaps of your pets or family!

If it is terracotta or wood clean your article in the first place and ensure that it is dry before you go on. At the outset you will need to gather your cut outs and then shuffle them around to make up your composition. Now choose a suitable colour for the background of your article and give it a coat of acrylic paint.

Should you be using an open type of article, such as a bowl, this will require painting both inside and out. Right now be patient and put it somewhere to become dry where it will not accumulate dust. In the meantime mix up a bowl of some run of the mill household wallpaper adhesive. We have currently arrived at the tricky bit!

You can at this point use a narrow household paintbrush, say around an inch wide, to painstakingly paste your cut out pieces on the reverse of them and then firmly attach them to your article. As you put on each piece conscientiously use an old rag to push it downward and give it a wipe over.

Depending on how big your cut outs are, I would odds-on paste larger cut outs on first. Allow plenty of time for these to dry thoroughly. So, in this instance, I would at least give it a day. Once you have reached this stage you should now apply a coating of polyurethane to your work.

If your article is a garden tub with an inside to it which is wide open, paint the interior surface first. After that place it to dry once more over night. The next day you can carry on and polyurethane the outer surface. At this point you can wash your paint brush with some mineral spirit.

Your next stage is to use a somewhat darker color of paint to encompass your article, equally inside as well as out. On the other hand, before this really dries, use a piece of kitchen roll to get the paint off, enabling your cut outs to gleam through. Leave overnight!

The next day you can draw on your polyurethane yet again to put on yet a further coat on top of the whole of your chosen article.

The author of this "How To" article, Anna Meenaghan, also operates an online interactive art community where you can find more helpful articles on art & crafts as well as all things related to art ranging from canvas art through to art posters. The site also serves as a meeting point for artists & art enthusiasts alike.

Decopatch on Furniture: Perfect For A Bit of Flair

Learning to Decopatch on furniture is a great way to be able to successfully transform any piece of furniture into a work of art. It doesn't matter how beat up a table, chair, or book shelf is. Covering furniture with Decopatch can turn even the shabbiest furnishing into a magnificent new creation.

The first step involved with adding this to furniture is to first find the pieces of furniture that will be covered with the paper. There can even be a variety of objects covered to create a matching set out of a completely mismatched collection of furnishings. After each piece has been chosen, it's time to pick out the paper to be used for covering these items.

A variety of papers can be used, but special paper used specifically for this is available at many craft stores. This is a fairly thick paper that doesn't tear easily. The patterns and colors Decopatch paper comes in are very extensive. It's best to get a variety that complement one another, in order to be able to combine them without worrying if they go well together or not.

Paper being used needs to be torn into small pieces. The size of the paper will depend on the furniture piece to be covered. For instance, a small nightstand will look better covered in paper that is torn smaller than pieces being used on a large bookshelf. Before each piece of paper is laid upon the item to be covered, a layer of glue needs to be brushed on the item.

Using glue that is made for this project works is best, since it is made to dry clear and won't cloud the overall appearance of the Decopatch project. Once the glue has been brushed on, just where the piece of paper is going to be placed, the paper can then be applied. Another coat of glue should be brushed over each piece of paper as it is applied as well.

When the entire piece of furniture has been covered in Decopatch, it should be allowed to dry. After it is completely dry, all surfaces should be coated with a varnish to seal and protect the Decopatch. This step will then complete this on furniture project. The varnish needs to be applied in thin coats with an hour drying time in between. It's better to apply many thin layers of varnish, instead of on thick layer.

Katia is the author of a 10-page guide, "30 FAQ's to Help You Master the Art of Decopatch". For your complimentary copy, visit http://www.paper2play.com - a website that specializes in provided craft related tips, advices and resources to unlock your creativity with decoupage supplies!

Happy DSD!

Look What’s New at ScrapMatters.com 11/04/2011!!

Good morning! Happy DSD to you!!!! Are you ready for our biggest sale of the year? Our entire store is 40% off this weekend! So make sure you pick up some adorable goodies for AMAZING prices. It’s time to make your wish list a purchased list.

We have a whole weekend full of games and speed scraps just waiting for you in the forums, so make sure you check out the schedule at the end of this post!

Plus, with every $20 purchase, you will receive Love Yourself, which is the latest totally gorgeous design team collab.

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Learn How To Decopatch Now

If you would like to learn how to decopatch, you need to begin by getting the recommended materials, such as decopatch paper, paperpatch glossy glue, a hog bristle brush, aquapro or similar commercial varnish, a cup of water (for brush cleaning), and scissors. Select the item you want to do this to, and then select the decorative paper. Once that is done, all you need is a brush and decopatch glue varnish.

The first thing to do is to cut or tear the Decopatch paper into tiny pieces - approximately the size of a standard postage stamp or perhaps slightly bigger. It would be best if you tear it for this step since torn edges blend together more smoothly than edges cut with scissors. After this, you need to put glossy glue to the area you will be placing the paper. Then place one piece of Decopatch paper on the glued surface, and apply a new coating of paperpatch glue on your paper. Now, it is time to make the surface smooth, working from the center to the edges. Make sure you take away the extra glue. Cover the target object completely with paper and glue.

Each one of the pieces should be overlapping over to the next. For the best results, make sure the overlap is not too much - only enough to cover the edges of the previously glued piece. If possible, use professional varnish on objects for everyday use or where a shiny finish is desired. Placing two or even three coats is important, with an hour to dry between each application. Once fully decorated, leave the project to dry for 15-30 minutes

The paper can also be employed to revamp any old items you may have around the house, such as a chest of drawers, chairs, and mirrors. Among the endless possibilities, you can even use the paper to decorate shoes, handbags, and other items for weddings! Many people have these types of parties - use the paper to decorate items at the party including but not limited to animals, mirrors, photo frames.

A big advantage to a Decopatch party is that guests get to take home their items on the same day! You can instead choose one or more gift bags and take them home to do on a rainy day for an innovative party or family activity.

Once you master how to decopatch, you will find these projects everywhere you turn. Almost anything can be done up in this manner, including old furniture, glass, wood, stone, cardboard. It's that simple, enjoy and have some great fun!

Katia is the author of a 10-page guide, "30 FAQ's about Decopatch". For your complimentary copy, visit http://www.paper2play.com - a website that specializes in provided craft related tips, advices and resources to unlock your creativity with Decopatch!