Design elements and inspiration.

You've asked - where can I get the "stuff" with which to decoupage? And I'm not talking about the medium. I'm referring to the pictures, the clip art - the goodies to put on your project! You have the surface, and you have the Mod Podge, but what do you do? Of course, I have a few suggestions.

Clipart.com is the first one. You need to go there NOW. You'll find anything and everything that you want to decoupage to a surface. Birds, buttons, dogs, animals, ocean, cars, nature. . . you won't believe the huge library of images that they have. You can search through filters, so the nice thing is if you want just black and white, you can specify that. The subscription is $14.95 for one week, so I suggest searching for everything you need, preparing a list, and then downloading all at once. This is the kind of thing you can do with clip art, via www.marthastewart.com:

Isn't it loverly?

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DIY some pumpkin lanterns.

It's not really a secret that my favorite holiday in the whole world is Halloween. I also like bright lights. Maybe I am part bat? Or do bats even like lights?

I digress.

These punkin jars were created with Mod Podge and fabric - and some creativity - by Sarah Scott.  The perfect medium for these projects is Fabric Mod Podge. I highly recommend using the battery powered tealights so that you don't burn your house down.

I kinda like the patchwork look.

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You should Mod Podge a guitar.

I'm almost tempted to end this blog over this project, given that it definitely shows that a person can pretty much Mod Podge anything. What more do I have to write about?

Oh, but there is so much more to write about.

I am quite impressed with the care by which Mr. potato Mod Podged his guitar. He even did the back!

A tip for those of you who may consider completing the same project - lightly sand the surface before Mod Podging. It will cause better adhesion between the glue and paper.  I would DEFINITELY recommend sealing this project before using for durability.  I'm assuming if you are cool enough to do this to your guitar, then you are definitely going to be using it!  :D

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Glass wallpaper coasters.

Thank you Martha. For your contribution to the world of Mod Podge. These vintage wallpaper coasters are awesome and easy.

Find the instructions here.

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Meet a little kokeshi (WIP).

I've just recently started seeing these little guys (and girls) peeking up around the internet.  This one was done by Zen Crafter and is in progress - however, it's still cute. If you don't know what a kokeshi is, check them out here.

I've always been intrigued by Asian art. My favorite art museum is the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and this type of work is something you would find there. If you can believe it, there is a quilt there embroidered for years by Asian women who went BLIND finishing it because the detail was so intricate.

If you do detail work like this with your Mod Podge, I highly recommend tweezers. It will make your work a lot easier!

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Bluebirds singing on a t-shirt.

I really feel that Fabric Mod Podge doesn't get enough attention. Sometimes a person doesn't want to sew, or they don't know how. This same person could instead use Fabric Mod Podge!

Here's what you do--you will need sharp scissors, Fabric Mod Podge, and a textile brush. Make sure the fabrics are pre-washed, since most have sizing in them at the store. Iron your fabrics and then cut your applique(s) out with sharp scissors. I recommend (at least for your first time) using a stencil and a fabric marker. Fabric markers are special in that the ink washes out, so they are made for projects such as these. Once the fabrics are cut, lay them out on your garment for placement. Once you glue them, that's it, so make sure you know what you want!

Apply the Fabric Mod Podge directly to your applique pieces on the bottom side, and then turn over and smooth with your hands. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge on the top of each applique with the textile brush and then gently work it in. Be cautious about going over too far with the Mod Podge onto your garment. You don't want ugly edges! After you are done sealing the fabric, allow to dry for 72 hours and then machine wash in cold water. I personally prefer hang drying rather than in the dryer - but that is me.

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The greatest tip re: wrinkle reduction!

One of the biggest issues I have come across in my decoupage projects is wrinkles. . . you know what I'm talking about. The paper is bubbly. And unattractive. It goes something like this -

PROBLEM: You got those terrible little bubbles and wrinkles in your paper. And they didn't go away when the project dried.

SOLUTION: There are three parts - three options of things you can do to avoid this problem. Here we go.

Part A - Spray your paper with this. You can really use any acrylic sealer, but this one is my favorite. Spray both sides of the paper SEVERAL times and allow to dry. What happens is the sealers acts as a makeshift barrier, so that the surface of the paper gets glued, but the glue doesn't soak all the way through the fibers and make a soggy mess (thereby causing the dreaded wrinkles).

Part B - You can mist the paper with water. This is especially important with thinner papers. I've never had success with really thin papers unless I've misted them with water (NOT soaked) and then also used a roller. Don't roll over the top too much though, or you will start to wear the paper away - since it's wet.

Part C - Allow the paper to dry to the surface BEFORE Mod Podging over it. Let me explain. You MUST apply enough Mod Podge to either the project surface or the paper back. I get that question a lot, actually. It doesn't matter what you do, just make sure that you apply a medium layer - not too thin. Apply the paper to the project surface and SMOOTH THOROUGHLY with your fingers or a brayer. Allow this to dry for 15 - 20 minutes and THEN go back and Mod Podge over it to seal.

NOTE: Tissue paper is going to wrinkle. It's just going to. It's part of the fancy effect.

For more information and to see great videos with some tips, visit youtube.com/modpodgerocks.

Now get Podging!

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