The Artful Crafter | Crafts | Craft Guide
>Home>Craft Ideas>Decoupage>Decoupage on Teak

Decoupage on Teak

Decoupage on Wooden Vases

Hello.

I want to do a collage type decoupage on two wooden vases that
are 12 in. high; they are like a teak wood and have a finish on them. Can you tell me what steps I have to take to do this and also some ideas for a design?

It is for a wedding shower gift for my niece and I also want to include seashells and tiny glass stones besides the pictures of their engagement.

If you could give me some kind of direction to follow or ideas, it would be much appreciated. I have decoupaged many years ago and hope I will be able to do this.

Can’t wait to hear what suggestions you have!!

Mary


Teak has a natural sheen to it when polished. If this is what you mean by “finish” you may not need to do any prepping other than wiping the vases down with alcohol to remove any oil.

Two of the most popular surfaces for decoupage are glass and ceramic; so don’t worry about the teak-like wood being too smooth. Many people think you need a rough surface for the decoupage medium to grab. Not so.

On the other hand, if your vases are finished with anything like lacquer or polyurethane, this article on Decoupaging Used Furniture might help.

Since you say you decoupaged “many years ago”, it may be helpful to take a little refresher course. I think you’ll find some helpful tips in this article about on decouping onto glass and ceramic.

With the teak and seashells, you’ve got very neutral colors. If the tiny glass stones are sea glass, they would fit in very nicely with a natural theme and look. I would select sea glass pieces in muted tones and go for an elegant look.

I’m just brainstorming here and, since I haven’t seen any of your materials I may be waaaay off base; but hopefully I can give you some ideas to jump off from.

I would choose one central photo for each side of the vases. If the colors are too vibrant for the elegant look I envision, I would tone them down in a photo editing software like Photoshop. I might make them sepia (brown tones like an antique photo) or just mute the shades to tie in with the sea glass.

Using a photo editing software also gives you the option to select just part of a picture by cropping. Because of the subject matter, I probably would not cut the photos up as is usually done for decoupage. My vases would be more like a scrapbook page – images to be preserved and enhanced.

Cut out a template the same size as each surface of the vases and then play with various arrangements on the templates until you are satisfied.

You might edge each photo with cutouts from paper doilies and arrange the shells and sea glass artfully over the entire template – to be on the wood itself but with a few strategically placed on the photo.

Once you are happy with your designs, you are ready to begin decoupaging.

One final note: I would hold the stones and sea glass aside almost like a separate project. If you glue them on and then apply two or three coats of decoupage medium, you may not be happy with the (unnatural) finish. To preserve the natural look, they should be applied as the very last step. Just use a good strong craft glue like E6000 or a liquid epoxy.

You can do it, Mary! And I’m sure Aunt Mary’s decoupage vases will be treasured conversation pieces for years to come.

For more on decoupage, visit The Decoupage Index Page.


Recommended Reading

These books are excellent resources for decoupeurs. Not only do you get tips and techniques, but also artwork that you can use in your own projects.

New Decoupage: Transforming Your Home With Paper, Glue, and Scissors
By: Durwin Rice
The Victorian Scrap Gallery: A Collection of over 500 Full-Color Victorian-Era Images
By: Dee Davis
Absolute Beginner's Decoupage: The Simple Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Beautiful Decoupage
By: Alison Jenkins
Collage Discovery Workshop: Make Your Own Collage Creations Using Vintage Photos, Found Objects and Ephemera
By: Claudine Hellmuth
930 Matchbook Advertising Cuts of the Twenties and Thirties (Pictorial Archive Series)
By: Trina Robbins
Decoupage: A Practical Guide to the Art of Decorating Surfaces with Paper Cutouts
By: Dee Davis

  |Top | Decoupage | Crafts | Home |

PhotoJewelry


Site search Web search

Please take a brief survey to help us serve you better.


Specials

Free Shipping at Artbeads

Specials at Joann

Take an additional 20% off one item online - coupon code EJD238

Take 40% off one regularily priced item - coupon code EED238

Free shipping on all orders over $25 - coupon code EAD238

Expires Aug 25th.

Sizzix - Scrapbooking, Cardmaking, Stamping and More!
Free shipping on orders of $100 or more!

Free Shipping on all orders over $75 at Creative Visions

Scrapbook.com: Thousands of scrapbooking supplies. HUGE daily discounts!

Favorite Craft Sites

ScrapGirls
Layers Upon Layers
Scanner Magic
Stamping Mad
Hankering For Yarn
A Creative Journal
Tangled Thread
Quilting & Patchwork
Nanas Attic
Prima Hybrid
Sprague Lab

 



 
 
Craft Supplies
Wooden Letters
Family Stickers


Craft Topic Index

Beading
Candles
Collage
Computer Crafting
Crochet & Knitting
Cross Stitching
Decals
Decoupage
Digital Scrapbooking
Embossing
Fabric
Gift Bags
Gourds
Holiday Crafts
Homecoming Mums
Home Cured Clay
Jewelry Making
Leather
Mason Jars
Paper Crafts
Party & Wedding Planning
Quilting
Ribbon Crafts
Scrapbooking
Sewing
Soap Making
Stamping
Teen Crafts
Wall Coverings
Wood Working

If you would like to see other crafts covered, Contact Us


Subscribe to The Artful Crafter RSS feed

(What's RSS)

While you're at it, subscribe to the free monthly Artful Crafter Digest.

For more frequent craft news and ideas, visit The Artful Crafter Blog.


ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: add to BlinkBlink add to Del.icio.usDel.icio.us add to DiggDigg
add to FurlFurl add to GoogleGoogle add to SimpySimpy add to SpurlSpurl Bookmark at TechnoratiTechnorati add to YahooY! MyWeb

|Newsletter Archives | Site Map |Online Resources |Subscribe | About Us | Contact Us | Privacy |

Copyright© 2004- 2008 The Artful Crafter

Return to top

counter