The art of Decoupage 

The other day, I went to a craft store looking for some supplies. Of course, there are a million other things that catch my eye while I'm browsing aisles of inspiration. By the time I left, I had my hands full of all sorts of fun stuff! Particularly, an assortment of fun scrap-booking paper and random wooden letters. I wanted to do something quick, simple and cute. Here is a super easy way of explaining the project, which you can simply look up here. It also gives you a little history behind the art. I did my project with wooden letters, which come in all sorts of sizes. It's perfect for your home or a little gift for a friend! I did the letter "D" for our home and a little "N" for some friends of ours. With some practice, this project can be done in no time! 

Decoupage (or découpage) is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf and so on. Commonly an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers. Each layer is sealed with varnishes (often multiple coats) until the "stuck on" appearance disappears and the result looks like painting or inlay work. The traditional technique used 30-40 layers of varnish which were then sanded to a polished finish. This was known in 18th century England as The Art of Japanning after its presumed origins.

Step 1: Pick out your paper

Step 2: Trace both sides of your letter

Step 3: Place glue on wood and apply paper. 

Make sure there are no air pockets. 

Add one more layer of glue on top of paper, let dry.

Step 4: Repeat on other side and let dry. 

Note: You may want to paint the letter before applying paper. Up to you! 

xoxo