Butterfly Vase/Painted and Decoupaged With Napkins

I love my napkin stash! I have quite a few of these and whenever I open my craft container they inspire me. I know I know they are just napkins but the picture makes me feel good:)

To begin I washed this glass vase and wiped any excess oil from the outside  with alcohol on a cotton ball.

I painted the outside of my vase with two coats of chalk craft paint using a small foam brush. I mixed colors to try and closer match the background color of the napkins. 

It ended up being an earthy yellow after adding a small amount of a sandy beige.

To prepare the napkins I used a small paint brush and water. I wet the brush and ran it around portions of the napkin that I wanted to use on my vase. I tore the pieces of napkin away from the parts that I planned to use. I like using water because it makes the napkin very easy to pull apart. Uneven borders are easier to make appear seamless on your piece.

• TIP: Remember to make sure all the layers of napkin are separated and you are only gluing the front portion on your piece.

I had Mod Podge on hand and used that as my glue and a soft craft brush. When the paint on the vase was dry I worked in small sections applying thin layers of Mod Podge and placing the napkin pieces on and smoothing the wrinkles with a balled up piece of Saran Wrap. 

• TIP: Using the Saran Wrap is easier then trying to smooth with your fingers. There is less chance of the napkin ripping.
• Once all the pieces were placed and dried, I covered the images with a layer of Mod Podge and let everything dry.

Here is a peak at a wine bottle I was working on at the same time. The wine bottle I almost completely covered unlike the vase which will ended up having a much more random pattern.

After all my pieces were glued on I wasn’t liking the way the pictures looked. They didn’t blend onto the piece well with the paint. So to make them look more like part of the piece, I dry brushed all over the vase paying special attention to the outer borders of each image. The picture wrinkles pick up extra paint and more or less blend everything together.

Looks more rustic and I liked this appearance better. 

Once the dry brushing was set and dried the entire vase was covered with a layer of Mod Podge. You will see wrinkling appear. The fresh glue activates the dried glue. I baked my piece in the oven which helps to set the glue, smooth the wrinkles and creates shine.

• TIP: To bake,
• Place your piece in a cold oven.
• Set to lowest temperature usually 170 degrees.
• Leave heat on for 1/2 hour.
• Turn the heat off and let piece cool in the oven.
• I let it sit for 1 hour.

Here is my finished sweet little vase! The picture shows the shine the oven baking creates.

Also, I didn’t forget to include my finished wine bottle. I dressed this piece up a bit more with strips of glass beads that I glued on with E6000.

 

 

 

I know these projects have a Spring feel but they fade into my Autumn decorations very seamlessly. 

I hope you enjoyed these projects and please leave me any questions.

Thank you for stopping by,

Roni♥