What's in a Name?

I showed you my decoupage letter "E" in this post. Since then I have purchased and adorned my first initial and my husband's first initial as well. I used a gorgeous green and white hydrangea paper from Paper Source. My favorite color is green and my husband loves hydrangeas so it was a perfect combination.

I haven't decided yet where these will hang. They could go in our kitchen, our bedroom, the hallway or even sit on a bookshelf or wall shelf instead. I am currently obsessing over covering the walls of our apartment with beautiful things since we rent and do not want to have to paint and repaint rooms when we move out. These could also become part of a wall gallery I am constructing and will preview in upcoming posts. The possibilities are endless...

Photos by Kyle @ 918 Photo

Decoupage Wood Plaque

Another decoupage idea for your viewing pleasure. This time I found a 8 x 10 wood plaque and decided to create some art with a really special piece of paper. I painted the back and sides of the plaque in a powder blue color and decoupaged a section of the paper onto the front. The paper I used came from Paper Source and is a vintage collage of flowers, butterflies, background patterns and text. I call it Flora & Fauna for obvious reasons.

As you can see the paper has a texture to it kinda like fabric or wallpaper. You can also see where the paper wrinkled a bit in the bottom left corner (oops!), but I think it adds more to the vintage vibe.

You can hang this plaque on the wall or stand it on a table or bookshelf.

I love this paper so much and I'm trying to think of other ways to use it in all of its glory. Any ideas?

Photos by Kyle @ 918 Photo

Decoupage Wood Initial

You've seen my decoupage picture frames and you know how much I adore this technique, so I have been inspired to try it in different ways. I found these white letters at Michaels made from MDF that you can hang on your wall and decided it would be cute to decorate the front with fun patterned paper. I used the exact same process as the picture frame tutorial in my previous post, except I didn't have to paint it because it was already white. You could paint it a coordinating color if you wanted, but I like the contrast.

Our last name begins with the letter "E" so I was thinking it would be cute to hang on our living room wall, although I chose a very girly pattern. My husband doesn't seem to mind since he painted one of our living room lamps watermelon pink last year. Letters in this pattern would be really cute in a little girl's or teenager's room. You could use a more sophisticated pattern and create a monogram for a wedding as well. I will definitely repeat this project when we have the need for a nursery. Can you imagine a baby's name spelled out with these letters in a cute pattern or various patterns within a color scheme?

Photos by Kyle @ 918 Photo

Decoupage Picture Frame Tutorial

So you wanna experience the awesomeness of decoupage... I don't blame you. Quickly becoming one of my favorite crafting techniques, it's simple, straight-forward, fun and it delivers! Here is a tutorial on how I made the picture frame and believe me the process translates to so many other projects.

To start you will need the following supplies:

1. Wood Frame ($1 at Michaels, what?!)
2. Decorative Paper
3. Waterbase Sealer, Glue & Finish (Mod Podge as most people know it)
4. Sponge or Glue Brush
5. Paint
6. Paint Brush
7. Emory Boards or Sandpaper

Step 1: Paint the sides, back and inside edge of the wood frame in a coordinating or neutral color. (Or hey, any color you want!) I chose the same royal purple as the pattern on my fancy paper.

Step 2: Position the paper over the front of your frame until you have an idea of where you want the pattern to lie, then cut out a piece slightly bigger than the frame and cut out a square in the middle. It does not have to be exact by any means.

Step 3: Apply the Mod Podge to the front of the frame with your sponge or glue brush enough so that it is covered all over but not gloppy.

Step 4: Position your paper on the frame and press down to seal the glue. Sometimes I put a heavy book on top of it for a few minutes to weigh it down so there are less bubbles.

Step 5: Take your sandpaper or emory board and sand down the paper at the edge of the frame at a 45 degree angle. You will see that it starts to easily remove the paper that isn't glued to the frame. This gives you a very clean edge. (I got the idea to use an emory board from Craftily-Ever-After and it makes so much sense, it's a lot easier to handle and get around the tight inside corners. Plus you can get like 10 for less than a dollar!)

Step 6: Once you have sanded off the excess paper all around the edges. Apply another layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper to seal it. I used a gloss finish to give it a little shine.

Once it dries, I put a heavy book on top to weigh it down again and it usually works out any small bubbles. The Mod Podge is non-toxic too so you can use it on just about anything.

Photos by Kyle @ 918 Photo

Up Next: More ways to use this awesome technique...

♥♥♥♥♥

Vignette includes felt rosette heart wreath in red, yarn pom pom flower bouquet in hot pink, felt rosette flower bouquet in red and decoupage picture frame with red and purple damask pattern.

Photos by Kyle @ 918 Photo

Decoupage Frame

I discovered decoupage about ten years ago and have recently renewed my love for it. If you're not familiar with this technique, it is the "art or technique of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic, or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied".  I used to decorate items with pictures from magazines (I think all of my crafts started out this way), but I have come to find a much more modern and sophisticated way to use this process. I saw this project on Craftily-Ever-After and had to try it.

I made two frames for my friend for our secret santa gift swap this past December using the same type of frame, purple scrapbook paper and embellished them with silver owl pendants. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of those frames. But I used the same technique on a different shaped frame using scrapbook paper that matches our bedroom decor.

I painted the frame white and used a gloss varnish. The frame comes with a wooden dowel stand so you can set it on a side table, bookshelf or wardrobe. 

Side note: that's my wedding bouquet made by Meg @ Princess Lasertron next to the frame. Isn't is gorgeous?!

Anyways, I have so many more ideas for this wonderful technique, which of course I will share, as well as a tutorial for all of you crafters out there. I better sign off, I'm starting to rhyme. Happy Wednesday! 

Photos by Kyle @ 918 Photo