Crafting With Decoupage
The craft of decoupage has been around for centuries. It is still probably one of the cheapest and most rewarding of crafts to enter into. I think many of us think of decoupage as pictures of red roses glued onto a black box and then made shiny. In reality decoupage is really only limited by your imagination. Like any craft it can take time to become a real expert but with the right materials, an artistic eye and a little time collecting it can become a valuable hobby.
The first thing you will need for any decoupage is something to glue your images onto. This can be almost anything. Even porous surfaces can usually be sealed before applying the image. Picture frames, mirrors, boxes, albums, books, any kind of ceramics, wooden plates and toys and even eggs can be great ideas for your next decoupage project.
Start keeping an eye out for interesting images to include in your decoupage. Whether your taste is for fairies and flowers, or something more modern and abstract is entirely up to you. Many decoupage artists like to make collections of empheria (olden day things) and find that make particularly interesting items for decoupage. Magazines and newspapers are full of pictures. Have a browse too through second hand book stores or markets that sell bric-a-brac. It is surprising what you can find. Save all that wrapping paper and the greeting cards, you never know when something might come in handy.
A few simple materials are all that is needed to produce a work of art. You will need something to cut with - scissors or an exacto knife or even razor blades. If you can afford it there are special glues that can be purchased from craft stores. There is nothing wrong though with using ordinary white glue, just remember to thin it down with a little water. You also need something to smooth your image down with. This is an important item as you don’t want wrinkles on your decoupage item. You can buy specialty brayers that work a bit like mini rolling pins, or use the back of a spoon. A Popsicle stick works fine too.
This is a part of the process that you might like to spend some time practicing on using images that you know you aren't going to want for anything else. Just grab an old piece of wood and practice getting that paper smooth and flat. Use rags, sponges and paint brushes to spread glue and to wipe up any excess.
Once your decoupage is dry the final step is to seal it. Again you can use plain old white glue (watered down). Polyurethane, shellac, or spray on acrylics give excellent results to the final finish as much as the more expensive specialty made lacquers.
As you see decoupage really is a very simple craft to learn, but the results can be beautiful and astounding. It's a great idea just to spend some time searching online to get a feel for the variety of ideas and uses people have found for decoupage. Then plunge in and have a go. Who knows what wonderful gifts you can come up with either for others or just for yourself?