Decoupage

The word decoupage comes from Middle French decouper, meaning to cut out or cut from something. The origin of decoupage is thought to be tomb art. Nomadic tribes used cut-out felts to decorate the tombs of their deceased. From Siberia, the practice came to China and by the 12th century, cut out paper was being used to decorate lanterns, windows, boxes and other objects. In the 17th century, Italy, especially Venice, was at the forefront of trade with the Far East and it is generally thought that it is through these trade links that the cut out paper decorations made their way into Europe.

Introduction to Decoupage cannot be complete without mentioning Mrs Mary Delany who lived in England from 1700 to 1788. This talented and charming woman was a confidante of Kind George III & Queen charlotte, a loved member of their court. 

At the age of 71, Mary started creating most exquisite and botanically accurate reproductions of plants and flowers. She cut the fine tissue papers which she painted first hand-coloured. She created 1,700 of these works, calling them her “Paper Mosaiks” , as she called, until the age of 88 when she succumbed to failing eyesight. These amazing paper cutouts can be seen in the British Museum today.

The art or craft of decorating objects with paper cut-outs.

Having seen many people create decoupage boxes and objects over the years, I decided to create my own. Seeing another person cut out images and flowers out of napkins and turning it into something special really inspired me.

I started by collecting a few napkins and doing some shopping to find the right kind of flowers and images I wanted to use. Also, I needed to choose a paint that would hold and show a true reflection of what I was aiming to achieve. After a visiting a few hardware stores, I went for the best range on the market, £5.00 for a small 100ml sample tin but it was worth it and goes a long away, Farrow and Ball.

I chose Cooking Apple Green No.32 and Rust-Oleum Gold effect Furniture paint for the gold rustic inside.

After collecting my supplies and a few bits I would need, I started to make a start on the decoupage box.

I had great fun creating this, it was very relaxing and brought a moment of peace and joy to my life, especially when you got some beautiful music playing in the background!

A simple task but satisfying!

Nathan x