Looking for an inexpensive way to show your holiday spirit without breaking the bank? Here’s some ideas on how to decoupage your holidays.

Thanksgiving plates with a decoupage image of the pilgrims as the centerpiece can really bring out the joy and tradition of the holiday. Just swoosh your plates through soapy water, rinse them under the faucet and after a towel dry they’re ready to get dressed up in their holiday finery. You set the round cut-outs of Plymouth Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing their meal, placing them on the underside of glass plates so that the image stares up at you through the tinted glass. Then with a snip, snip, snip those useless doilies become a lacy latticework frame, complete with thistles and pressed autumn leaves, creating a textured border around your sepia toned portal to yesteryear.

As autumn grows to winter, there is nothing like the gentle wavering glow of candle light to warm the heart. Just take out last year’s unused holiday gift candles (or buy some inexpensive thick ones) and print or find some inspirational Christmas words or phrases like “Peace” or “Love” and cut them out. Perhaps with a snow flake design or image of St. Nick, test your cutouts against the candle’s wax surface. Cover the sections you want left uncolored with paper and masking tape. With fine sandpaper, sand and wipe off the excess wax of area to ready your art space. Paint the surface to create a background color then apply two coats of varnish. After you apply the word and image cut outs you are ready to apply a few coats of gesso to set the photo to your painted background. Once you’ve set your pigments you should apply up to 5 coats of varnish, with a light sanding in between the last two.

As spring rejuvenates the world, its time to bring new life to an old tradition; instead of dyeing Easter eggs this year, why not decoupage Easter bunnies on them? Just take a pin and poke a hole at the crown and bottom of the egg and then blow out the slimy insides (if the thought of this makes you reel in disgust, try flushing the contents with a syringe). A quick rinse and few seconds of microwave drying (or in an oven at 300 degrees celsius for 10 minutes.) and then you’re ready to fill the egg with sand and wax seal the top and bottom. Dye the egg or paint it like you usually would. Now, you’re ready to place the Easter bunny image using decoupage. Carefully mount the delicate egg on a toothpick for ease of handle and then work the image onto its surface.

Think of all the other holidays you could decoupage: the logos of the battling teams on the guacamole dish at your Super Bowl party, spiders on the webby surface of Halloween candy baskets, pictures of your child on his birthday invitations. And if you’re looking for an inexpensive gift idea, purchase some plain coasters from your local craft store, print out and copy some personal photos and then, with the magic of decoupage, you now have great personalized gifts for friends and colleagues . Just finish them by gluing a layer of felt to the undersides and you’re ready to wrap them up.

As you can see decoupage is a craft for all seasons!

Karen

For more information on the “New” Decoupage please visit Decoupage Your Life. For Hints, Tricks and Tips on the amazing world of decoupage, Decoupage Your Life is The place!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Ann_Cooper

Author: Karen Ann Cooper

How To Create Beautiful Decoupage Projects including 3D Decoupage Quickly and Easily

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