Decoupage - A Quick and Easy Gift Idea

Do you need a quick and easy gift that you can make with the kids?  Decoupage is nothing more than gluing stickers or pictures onto something such as a box, an ornament or a frame.  You’ll spend more time heading out to your local craft store to pick up the (inexpensive) supplies than you’ll spend actually taking the time to create the project. It can be a fun way to add a personal touch to a favorite photo.1) Gather your supplies - You’ll need the following: an inexpensive frame with a flat, wide surfaces; Mod Podge (I like matte); scrapbook paper or pretty wrapping paper; text cut from magazines, stickers or 3-D scrapbooking images; a paintbrush and a clean work surface.

2) Measure the paper against the frame & cut out the middle being sure to leave extra paper to wrap the edges completely.

3) Paint over the frame with the Mod Podge to glue the paper to the frame. After carefully placing the paper onto the frame, wrap the extra paper around to the back, smooth out any wrinkles and paint over the paper again with the Mod Podge.

4) Apply any stickers, words or decorations after you’ve applied the top coat of Mod Podge.  If you want, you can paint an additional coat to give everything a good seal and a nice gloss.

5) Allow a couple of hours for the frame to dry thoroughly and admire your mad decoupage skillz (this is actually the longest time you’ll invest in this project).

This method can also be used to create picture frames using different images or text from magazines (the frame below was made using text from wedding magazines - I wrapped the frame first with inexpensive wrapping paper as outlined above so there wouldn’t be any of the bare frame showing between the overlapped text).  In this case, you use the Mod Podge to apply each piece of paper, overlapping text as desired.  When you’re finished with everything, top with a final coat to seal and glaze.  Be warned, this method takes much longer to create between cutting out the text and applying each piece one at a time.

I’ve also used a similar method to create magnets.  Using some fun fonts and pretty paper, I printed up a selection of words (in this case: love, hope, dream, live, breathe, relax, etc.,) cut them out for each piece of large, flat glass (found in the floral section of your local craft store or Wal-Mart) and then used the Mod Podge to glue the paper to the glass and the magnet to the back of the paper.  Again, this takes a little longer create but is still super easy to do.

Of course, some projects turn out better than others, but don’t let that stop you. For example, I’ve personally found wrapping paper much easier to work with as it’s thinner than scrapbooking paper, but that also means it’s more fragile. I like to think that there are always a learning opportunities in those mistakes.  Then again, something that makes this a good craft to do with the kids, it’s quite forgiving - you can usually cover up those mishaps with another sticker, picture or magazine clipping.