New item: Decoupage vase - Blue Flowers on Flames

This repurposed glass vase came with a flower delivery we received many months ago. The original plan was the decoupage the flowers on and then give it a thick coat of acrylic paint as a background. That didn't work out, however, so instead of acrylic paint I used orange crepe paper for an interesting textured look.

I'm really pleased with the finished result and think this would make a cool accessory for any room.

Buy it now!

New items: Upcycled napkin rings - Beige Palm and Pink and Purple

We've made two more sets of upcycled napkin rings, in a soothing, tropical beige and palm tree pattern, and a purple floral and pale pink combination. The sets are very different but, as always, made of upcycled paper towel tubes, craft paper, and non-toxic glues and acrylics. They also come with a muslin storage bag to keep them safe when not in use.

Check them out now!

Beige Palm

Pink and Purple Floral

New items: Decoupage dish sets - Blue Urn and Green Orchid

We were shopping at a well-known big box department store for various things and I stumbled upon this set of children's play dishes. There were four sets in four different colors, and each set had a bowl, saucer, and plate. I thought that I could do something with it, and it was on sale and had no logos on it, so why not? When we got home I stuck it under some books and promptly forgot about it.

Recently I found it again and decided to practice decoupaging images onto the plates. Those turned out so well that I thought maybe I could sell the sets in my ArtFire store. They'd make a great gift for someone seeking a cool way to stash coins or paperclips on their desktop, or they could be propped on a shelf to add a splash of color to any room.

What do you think?

Blue Urn

Green Orchid

New item: Green decoupage mirror - Orange Blossoms

Like "Wildlife" and "Superhero" before it, "Orange Blossoms" was made using basic decoupage techniques. I hand-stained a raw wood mirror and then carefully applied hand-cut orange flowers and paisley pieces to the frame over a thin layer of adhesive. The whole shebang was then coated with thick layers of glue, over and over again, to help the paper edges blend in with their surroundings. The project took several days, as I had to be sure that each layer of glue was fully dry before applying a new one, but it was a lot of fun. The end result is quite pleasing, don't you think?

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New item: Red decoupage mirror - Superhero

This mirror was made in much the same way as my previous decoupage mirror, "Wildlife". I stained a raw wood mirror by hand and then painstakingly applied hand-cut pieces of a single ply of a colored paper napkin to the mirror, which was coated in a thin layer of non-toxic adhesive. Then, using decoupage technique, I delicately coated the whole thing in a thin layer of glue, being careful not to tear the napkin pieces. After the glue was mostly dry but still a bit tacky, I gently distressed the paper for a slightly aged, vintage look.

After that it was just a matter of applying a few more coats of glue. Time consuming but fun.

Check it out!

Now a member of Indiepublic!

Indiepublic is a social networking site for designers and artists and people who like that sort of thing. We are happy to announce that our application for membership was recently accepted. Please take a minute to check out our page!

In the works: Decoupage glass vase, three more decoupage wooden mirrors

I've been working on this cylindrical glass vase for a while now. Originally, I cut pretty blue and gold flowers out of some handmade wrapping paper I had stashed and decoupaged them in alternating patterns on the inside of the glass. Then I tried to cover the whole background with hand-mixed maroon acrylic paint, reasoning that it would be kind of translucent and smudgy.

It looked awful.

Fortunately, acrylic doesn't bond to glass very well, so I was able to peel it off without damaging the flowers. After cleaning it well, I decided to use pieces of crepe paper to give it a sort of papier mache background instead of a flat matte color. It's working really well so far and I like the way it looks; it almost appears that the glass itself has swirls of color in it. As soon as the glue is totally dry, I'll give it a coat of acrylic glaze for extra protection, let it cure, and get some photos.

I'm also working on some more decoupage mirrors and hope to have those finished by the end of the weekend. Stay tuned!