—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. October 27, 1973
26
Homestead
Use The Art of Decoupage to Express “You”
By Sally Bair
Feature Writer
Decoupage is an 18th century
French art which is enjoying
quite a comeback, and Mrs.
Norman Shenk, Mount Joy RD2,
believes it is a useful hobby which
today’s woman can use to fulfill
herself.
Speaking at a regular meeting
of Farm Women Society 25, Jean
Shenk said, “Happy people are
ones who always have things to
do.” She said she feels it is a wise
investment for busy women to
use “squeezed in” time to learn
to be creative with their hands.
To her, decoupage is “easy and
always a satisfaction.” She adds
that she feels that hobbies
shouldn’t be hard on your budget,
so in demonstrating her
technique of decoupage she
always stresses using items
which are already in the home.
With the holiday season ap
proaching, decoupage just could
be the answer to that oft repeated
question, “what can I give t 0...?”
Jean suggests using things you
have been saving as the basic
picture which you want to
decoupage and preserve.
Calander prints, church
bulletins, cards, photographs, old
song sheets are just a few of the
suitable items which can be used,
and whose beauty and value will
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Mrs. Shenk holds one of
her finished products with
the others in the background.
Notes
Pat Erway, Editor
be enhanced She does caution
not to start out with something
you have sentimental value for
until you’ve experimented and
learned the technique.
Besides the picture, other
materials you will need include a
board, materials for finishing the
wood in the manner you desire,
white glue, a rolling pm or rubber
roller, waxed paper, pastry brush
or small paint brush, white
vinegar, rotten stone and linseed
oil, and some old soft cloths. An
important item is the finish you
want to use. Jean Shenk
recommends a urethane varnish.
In the more traditional method of
decoupage, you would use the
regular commercial decoupage
finish.
Before you begin the actual
work of decoupage, you must
choose the print and then a board
which will show off the print to its
best advantage. The best-and
cheapest - source of boards are
scraps you may have around the
house. Jean Shenk says she uses
rejected kitchen cupboard doors.
Other possibilities include
pressed wood, wood from an old
barn or boards left over from a
remodeling job around your
house or bam.
If the wood has a nice grain,
Jean suggests just using sanding
sealer on it. For effect, some
people like to add character to
They add unique touches to
your home, and make a
thoughtful gift for others.
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These are the materials which will be decoupage project. Most are found in the
needed before you can begin your home, or can be purchased inexpensively.
the board by denting it with a
hammer or a chain or putting nail
holes in it. You can characterize
the board to match your taste and
the type picture you are using,
but it should be fairly smooth
under the picture. You will need
to sand the board, and you may
want to stain it or paint it.
In preparing the print, you may
wish to burn the edges with a
candle for a ragged effect. Jean
says to do it over a sink, so that
water is readily available. The
picture edges can also be torn, or
left intact. If the print is par
ticularly delicate, you may want
to spray it with a sealer made for
that purpose.
The print is glued to the wood
with white glue, thinned with
some water. You may use a small
brush or your finger to spread the
glue over the entire surface of the
print; then making sure it is
centered, press the picture in
place.
To make sure the picture is
glued firmly, place waxed paper
over the picture and board and
roll as hard as you can over the
entire surface with the rolling pin
or rubber roller to get all the
bubbles out. Mrs Shenk advises,
“Roll longer than you think is
necessary.”
To remove any excess glue
which was forced out by the
rolling, use white vinegar and a
lint-free cloth (an old sheet is
perfect.) Be sure there are no
bubbles, and then allow to dry at
least 12 hours before proceeding.
At this point Mrs. Shenk’s
method differs from the more
conventional way of doing
decoupage. In the conventional
method, you begin now to brush
on coats of decoupage finish at
intervals of an hour until you
have completely submerged the
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After spreading glue on the print, it must be positioned on
the board, covered with waxed paper and rolled, to be sure it
is glued securely in place.
print. Depending upon the
thickness of the print you are
using, this could require up to 40
coats of finish Advocates of this
in Mrs. Shenk's method of decoupage she spoons a
urethane varnish over the surface of the board.
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method advise brushing from one
side only for each coat - do not
brush back and forth. For the
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