Decorating Christmas ornaments with the decoupage technique is not just a fun activity, but also a great opportunity to make a unique atmosphere at home. You can fully immerse yourself in the process alone, as well as create small masterpieces together with children, friends and loved ones. Our article will tell you how to create an original decoration and what’s more important – an unusual and memorable Christmas gift. This is a great alternative to boring ornaments from ordinary stores. It will also be a fascinating creative activity for children and adults, which can grow into a hobby.
Decoupage – What is this?
What is decoupage and why are craftsmen so in love with it – let’s figure it out. Decoupage (découp – translated from French as “to cut out”) is one of the oldest techniques of processing and decorating objects – it can be a vase, a casket or even a huge chest of drawers. The principle is that the necessary pattern or drawing is transferred to the surface of the object, just a few simple manipulations are required. As a result, we will get an original item, which later can be decorated according to your taste.
The history of decoupage is vast and interesting. This creative craft appeared about six centuries ago. Over time, this type of decoration has become a favorite hobby for bohemians – rich and creative people who were pleased to decorate home furniture and interior objects with the help of unusual techniques.
An interesting fact is that decoupage at one time served as a so-called “affordable fake”. It was an alternative to paintings of famous artists, whose work not everyone could afford. Copies of famous paintings were transferred on the surface, varnished and then processed. It was done in such a way that it was difficult to distinguish them from the original work without some special knowledge.
Among the fans of decoupage were such famous personalities as Marie Antoinette, who introduced the fashion for découpage in France, Madame de Pompadour and even Picasso. Time passed, but even now, after many years, this type of art remains incredibly popular among professionals and fans of handmade.
With the help of decoupage you can decorate any object, but today we will focus in detail on the decoration of Christmas ornaments. New Year’s ornaments, created in the technique of decoupage, are undoubtedly original, unusual and incredibly beautiful. Handmade ornaments evoke memories from childhood. Such decorations made in the decoupage technique, look unique but are quite simple to make.
Decoupage can be performed in different techniques (they differ in how the layers are applied and what materials are used). The main ones are forward and backward decoupage, volume decoupage, art decoupage and decopatch (combination of decoupage and patchwork).
Decoupage Styles.
Decoupage styles can be very different. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones.
Kimekomi
This technique appeared in Japan almost 300 years ago. Initially, kimekomi was used to make wooden dolls, but now it is mainly used to make Christmas ornaments and holiday decorations. This style differs from others in the way that the patterns and texture are made using pieces of felt and scraps of colored fabric. As a base, styrofoam is usually used (whether it is a ball or any other shape that suits you). For fixing, regular stationery glue is used. The main peculiarities of kimekomi are geometric patterns and lines.
Simple in execution, unusual and accessible to everyone, kimekomi will win your heart. Ornaments, decorated with fabric always look good. You can additionally decorate them with sequins, beads or buttons – they will make your work brighter. Thus you can create Christmas ornaments with a lot of small details that will please the eyes of everyone who will look at them.
Vintage
First, let’s understand what the vintage style is. These are artificially aged items that create a special atmosphere. They will serve as a wonderful gift for lovers of retro interiors.
Tones and colors for making vintage Christmas decorations should be chosen wisely – they must be soft and muted. Excellent choices will be such shades as dusty pink, light blue, gray, silver and porcelain. The details of the pattern can be made a little brighter, highlighting a few accents with sharper lines.
Pictures that are preferred for this technique are pages and illustrations of old books, pieces of postcards and photos with images of old Europe, retro pictures with images of children, angels and, of course, New Year themes. Images can be printed on a color printer, or you can use ready-made images. In specialized stores, you can find many suitable materials (for example, napkins).
An important element of vintage decoupage is the aging effect, which can be achieved in different ways – for example, using the technique of “craquelure” (artificial aging of the surface by cracking the top layer of the coating). It is not difficult to use this technique when making a decoration. But ornaments made with craquelure will look very special.
Provence
It is very similar to the vintage style, but Provence more often uses floral motifs and light soft colors, often with references to French themes. This style also often uses a shabby effect. Provence ornaments are worth making if this year you decided to decorate the Christmas tree in a romantic style using ribbons and artificial snow. As a print we can use the Eiffel Tower or delicate roses – this would be a great choice.
Victorian
This style is characterized by the presence of rich and deep shades of red, green, copper and gold. Thanks to the shades used, a Christmas ornament decorated in the Victorian style would be a perfect addition to a Christmas tree designed in the classical style.
Ornaments such as checks and stripes, hunting scenes, still lifes and scenes from the everyday life of English society are often used. All motifs are performed in muted tones.
The styles of decoupage I listed above are among the most suitable for making decorations for Christmas and New Year. You can explore other interesting and beautiful directions of decoupage art. For example, ethnic style is pretty interesting. It is characterized by bright details referring to a particular ethnic culture and traditions. Take a look at Shabby chic. It is known
What do I need for decoupage of Christmas ornaments?
Decoupage is famous for the fact that with the help of this technique it is possible to decorate almost any object. It doesn’t matter what material it is made of – wood, glass or plastic – decoupage will look great.
For New Year decorations, made in the technique of decoupage, most often light and unbreakable materials are used, such as styrofoam.
Now, let me tell you more about how to make Christmas decorations with your own hands.
First of all, we need the following materials:
Styrofoam ball or papier-mache form (you can buy a ready-made one or make it yourself);
Glue – use PVA, pencil glue or a special composition for decoupage;
Brush – choose a brush that is soft enough so that you do not leave any visible marks or cracks on the surface when applying the material;
Paper napkins with prints you like or bright rags made of fabric depending on what style of decoupage you prefer. Also, you can use cuttings from old newspapers and magazines, postcards, and even photos of your loved ones.
Decoupage of Christmas Ornaments – instructions.
With the help of our detailed step-by-step instructions, even a novice craftsman can create his first piece in the technique of decoupage. Let’s see what stages of work should be done when working on a Christmas decoration. We will also take a look at what subtleties exist in the decoupage. Let’s get started.
A base for the decoration.
The first step is to prepare the base. If you decided to use a blank bought in the store, you can safely move on to the next stage. If you plan to make a base yourself, you should sand the surface and make it as smooth as possible, so that there are no difficulties when applying the picture on the surface. Also, it is recommended to degrease and prime the shape before applying it. For example, you can use water-based putty.
Without a primer, the layers of paper applied to the product may not attach properly to the surface or even begin to peel off.
Christmas ornaments in decoupage technique. Paper for decoupage.
If you decide to decorate Christmas ornaments with napkins, you must first remove the top layer (be careful not to damage the design). If you want to use denser paper (cards or newspapers), they should be soaked in cold water for a couple of minutes beforehand. This will make it much easier for you to decorate the product, as the soaked paper will absorb the glue much faster.
After that, we cut out or tear off the desired fragment of the pattern and glue it on the surface of the product layer by layer, placing the image down. This should be done as carefully as possible so as not to accidentally damage the pattern. You can also make a few small cuts on the paper, as thanks to this paper will take the form of the item faster and easier.
You should wait for each layer to dry to avoid air bubbles and deformation of the paper surface.
By layering pieces of paper you can not only transfer the finished design, but also create a completely new story. Combine the patterns in different ways, as much as your imagination suggests you. Many craftsmen using several napkins or book illustrations can create real masterpieces. They come out so interesting that due to a large number of details in the picture you can’t take your eyes away from it. And when all the pictures and motifs are linked by a single storyline – it looks especially fascinating.
Wait for the paper to dry, and then, if necessary, apply a little acrylic paint to even out the edges of the picture and the background. It is desirable to do it with a foam rubber sponge, which allows you to make a soft transition between colors. And in case the paper becomes rough, this can easily be corrected by using sandpaper for sanding.
Next, it all depends on your imagination, you can add some gold or silver Dutch metal to the decoration, which will create a jewel-like shimmering effect. Or you can add some glittering elements with the help of glitter. A structural paste can give an interesting effect, which will create extra volume. If you feel that you are left with a lot of monochrome space, you can fill it with hand-painted pictures or glue some small beads.
The finished Christmas ornaments should be covered with a special varnish (it is recommended to use 4 to 10 coats). After applying let the item dry, decorate it with a bright ribbon or lace – and, voila, your little masterpiece is ready!
Choice of material. Christmas ornaments in decoupage technique. Fabric or felt.
Before you begin, the base should be primed and coated with monochrome paint. But the glue for the application of fabric scraps should be transparent. This is important to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the finished item. The denser the material, the more reliable glue you should choose, the usual PVA or stick glue more likely will not be enough.
Cover the Christmas ornament entirely with fabric elements, or make just a few fabric parts – it’s up to you to decide. It is not necessary to varnish such a decoration. Christmas ornaments, decorated with fabric, will look great if you add some braid or lace to them.
And, by the way, why not combine two techniques – paper decoupage and patchwork? For example, you can use plain smooth fabric and textured paper with a pattern. The result will surprise you because it will be very beautiful and creative.
Christmas ornaments, made with the help of our master class, will undoubtedly become a great gift for Christmas and New Year because such Christmas ornaments are virtually a work of art. They will create a festive mood in your house and give a lot of pleasant emotions to you and your relatives.
Decoupage with napkins on wood.
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