I haven’t ever tried decoupage before so this kit from Makerly was a good opportunity for trying something new. One thing I like about the Makerly kits is that they usually provide some background and history to the craft they are featuring, telling you when and where it originates from; in this case it dates back to 12th century Siberia.
Included in the kit was:
- Wooden vase
- Paper napkins
- PVA glue
- Paintbrush
The method was very straightforward; pulling the napkins apart so you just have the top layer with the design on to work with, and glueing them onto the vase. However, it was very delicate work with lots of risk of tearing both in the cutting and glueing stages. As I’ve never done it before I wasn’t sure how transparent the tissue paper would dry on the wooden vase, but it was quite visible in the end. If I’d have known then I would have been a bit more careful with how I cut out my shapes as I left quite big borders on them. I don’t think it matters too much but in the future I would take more care to be neater.
Even though it was a bit tricky I also decorated the inner walls of the vase, as suggested in the instructions. I think it was worth it as the inside can be seen and it gives it a more finished look. The instructions also have lots of suggestions for different materials and bases you can use for decoupage. I don’t know if this craft technique will be one I use often in my own work, but it’s always good to add another skill to my knowledge bank.
