Up-Cycling using paper napkins to decorate with

Hi crafters, Antony here! This weeks post is all about up-cycling, or making relatively cheap objects look both expensive and beautiful without costing the earth. So as Christmas is just round the corner it is a great time to give this type of craft decorating a go as you can easily personalise any object using this technique! The main decorative element is the simple paper napkin, there are loads of fantastic designs out there. So why not co-ordinate different items in your room by using napkins of the same design.

The products used in this weeks post are Viva Decor micro crackle undercoat, Viva Decor micro Crackle colour paint, Pinflair Napkin Glue and a decorative napkin.

 Step 1 Take one old or cheap clock or other house hold item and make sure that the surfaces are clean and dust free. In the case of the clock I am decorating I also removed the clock mechanism. But if your are decorating objects with handles or that have other furniture such as hinges on, remove them all if you can. Once removed if the surface you are going to decorate is already painted, lightly sand the surface. This will help the glue have something to key to.

 
Step 2 I then took a napkin and separated the layers. Normally a paper napkin has 2 or 3 layers. The one you need is the one with the printed image on. Now place this over the area you wish to decorate. In the case of the clock I decorated the main body. Squeeze a small amount of the napkin glue on top of the napkin and using a very soft brush gently start to spread the glue over the napkin. Wait until the glue has completely dried before you trim any of the over hanging napkin, other wise the napkin will tear. You can trim the overhang by using a craft knife or rub it away gently using fine sandpaper on a wooden block.

 

Step 3 Next start to apply the Viva Decor micro crackle undercoat primer to the area that you wish the crackle paint effect to be. Then let the undercoat dry, this can take about 1 hour. Once dry I painted on the topcoat. In the case of the clock I used a similar colour paint to that was also in the napkin design.

Step 4 Leave the top coat to dry. I left mine overnight and when I returned in the morning it had cracked nicely. The thicker you apply the topcoat the wider the cracks will be.

Step 5 Next I turned my attention to the clock face. I was able to remove the clear plastic cover and also the hands. I cut out two small butterflies from a napkin and again used the napkin glue to stick them to the clock face surface.

Step 6 I used some Viva Decor micro crackle transparent primer over the whole of the clock face. Then when the primer was totally dry I used Viva Decor Transparent Crackle Paint and left it to crackle overnight. Next I used a fine gold powder I filled in the cracks on the clock face to highlight the cracks. I then replaced the hands and clear plastic cover and placed it back into the main body of the clock.

I also decorated a small chest of draws using the same design napkins as I used on the clock. I removed the small wooden knobs on the draw and used Pinflair Buff-it craft polish on them and then stuck them back on.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

 
 Antony