This arts and craft project can turn basic home furniture into something much more interesting, fun, and beautiful. Depending on the pages or pictures used, this decoupage project can fit along with kid bedroom decor or with living room decor. It can be fun and silly or entirely romantic and beautiful.
Supplies
- Decoupage medium – Mod Podge is a glue, sealer, and finish that works on wood, metal, glass, terra cotta, canvas, and more. Hardcoat Mod Podge is especially great for furniture.
- Sponge paintbrush
- Piece of furniture – Use wooden bookshelves, a chair, or almost any piece of furniture can be used. Choose a piece from home, or pick up a piece from a secondhand store.
- Popsicle stick – This is useful both for removing excess decoupage medium and for smoothing out wrinkles.
- Polyurethane or acrylic spray – These are additional options for sealing your furniture, but Mod Podge can be used as the sealant, instead.
- Dictionary book pages – The furniture can, of course, be covered in something other than dictionary pages. Use pages from a children’s book, novel, atlas, or other book. Use poems, magazine pictures, or even photographs.
- Acrylic paints and paint brushes – optional.
Project
Find the pages that you want to decoupage. In the example for this article, dictionary pages were used. They were ripped from the book, leaving rough edges. Pages were chosen based off of the words and pictures on the pages. For precise edges use an exacto knife and a ruler (be sure to place a cutting board beneath the page), rather than simply ripping the pages. For shapes, i.e. a flower from a magazine, use an exacto knife to cut out the delicate outline.
Make sure that the piece of furniture is clean and dry. Before you start, be sure that you have an idea as to where you want your pages and cut-outs to be placed. It is perfectly fine to have them overlap. They can be added haphazardly or very systematically, depending on the desired look.
Start out with a small area. It is good to start out with the back of a piece or a less noticeable spot so that you can make sure you get the hang of the process. Use the sponge brush to paint a thin layer of decoupage medium on the furniture. Paint a thin layer on the back of the page you plan to glue down, as well. Be sure to coat it completely.
Now stick your page or picture onto the furniture. Use your finger to smooth out the edges, from the center out. Take the popsicle stick (a brayer, spoon, or ruler, etc., can be used, instead) to gently rub out any air bubbles and/or excess glue. Do not be too rough with the stick – the damp page is susceptible to ripping.
Continue doing this until the entire piece is covered. Be sure that edges are fully covered and that the paper has been pressed down smoothly. If you do not want to cover the entire piece, be sure that the furniture has been painted and prepared beforehand.
Once the covered furniture is completely dry, coat the entire piece with your decoupage medium. This should be allowed to dry completely.
If desired, use acrylic paint to paint a design atop the decoupaged piece. Use a stencil, or draw the design onto the piece with pencil, first. If a mistake is made, it can be decoupaged over once dry! Once the paint has dried, seal it with more decoupage medium.
For added protection, use a few more coats of the decoupage medium, or use a polyurethane spray (following the directions on the spray can).
For an artsy, yet completely homemade look, combine this craft project with the easy and interesting metal standing coat rack, made from spare plumbing parts.
The post Home Furniture Decoupage Project: Decou-Pages With Dictionary Pages appeared first on Indigo Reviews.