Wedding Crafting, Découpage if You Please

Yes, I know that the nuptials have come and gone but you didn't think I was going to leave you in the lurch about some of my wedding crafts did you? What turned out to be on of my bigger wedding crafting endeavors was that art of decoupaging. I used this technique on my card box, on some of my votive candles and also created table numbers using the same crafty goodness. Yes, it was a smidgen messy but I firmly believe that a little mess never hurts anyone, especially when it's cleaned up... which I just did this week haha. Anyhoo, want to check out my decoupage goodness?

You'll need a few things to start the decopauge process: Something to decoupage on (in my case, it is a box to put cards in), something to decoupage onto your item (vintage book pages in this example) Tacky Glue (my fave glue), a paint brush with sturdy bristles (so you don't end up sealing them on) and Mod Podge or some type of sealant. I chose this book based on the color/wear of it's pages but in retrospect, if you plan to use this same method for a special occasion, you are better off using a book that means something special to you. I should have used "Sense and Sensibility" or "Jemima J" or something because people at the wedding noticed that I had used The Three Musketeers and one young gent even asked me what it meant to  me... Uh, er, I loved Chris O'Donnell in the 90's movie? Yeah, I had no good answer ;-)

I was going for a simple statement so I just started tearing the pages out in square like fashion so that I could position them pretty evenhandedly when I went to glue these puppies on. You can do anything you like really but I was going more regimented than funky shaped.but also like the torn look... so it was just how I wanted to do it.

The next step is that of the gluing. Now this step is up to you, whether you want your surface to be super smooth or if you are going to let your paper crinkle a little as it dries. It is important that if you want your service to end up smooth, you must be diligent about when gluing, applying smooth an then also pressing on the object with something like a roller or hard surface to smooth out any glue bubbles. I personally wanted things to look shabby chic so let a little of the glue bubble but did smooth out in some areas such as the corners of the box.

As you can see I covered the entirety of the card box, bottom and top, just because that was the look I was going for. Once I had covered the desired surface area, it was time to glaze that same surface with my choice of decoupaging paste, which in this instance is Mod Podge. I like Mod Podge because it does the trick in this project but can also act as paste, a gloss finish and can also be mixed with paint to add some texture... so why not pick some up for your art stash?

I would use a decent paint brush for application but not one you would be heartbroken to have to chuck. You don't want to have to dig bristles out of the your decoupaged item as it's drying but also using a gluey type finish can dry into a brush which will then pretty much make it useless. I was able to use this brush a few times before I had to give it a proper burial.

Similar to when you are gluing, you will want to press this flat as you are decoupaging if you want a smooth surface. The modge podge I used didn't dry super fast so I would recommend it for smoother projects as well. Also depending on the level of gloss required, you can also add a second coat. If you are unsure, you can always practice on something unimportant first. You'll see that in application I did not flatten mine out but this was because I liked the way the book pages were reacting to the Mod Podge.

I let the ol' girl dry for the evening then added a second coat. I have to say, that I was pretty proud of this journey even though at the wedding the box was open all night so people could put cards in it haha! Isn't that always the way? ;-)

Have you ever tried to decoupage? Is decoupage a verb?