Here are three basic surface treatments that every crafter should have stashed away in their noggin. The first one is your basic decoupage. The second is chalkboard paint and the third is twine wrapping. These surface treatments are very versatile and can be used on numerous objects and surfaces.
Old jars, bottles and boxes are perfect to experiment with all three of these treatments. This tutorial is a very quick one, mostly just listing tips and pointers because they are fairly simple. You will see numerous projects of mine are based upon these basic treatments and skills. Enjoy!
What you will need: First you will need to decide what you will be treating. I found these plain paper mache pears in the dollar section at Micheal’s, but old jars, bottles & boxes work just as well. For the decoupage treatment, you will need old book pages or whatever type of paper you want to use. I recommend using a thinner paper because it conforms to curves, nooks and crannies better.
Then lastly some good ol mod podge and a paintbrush. For the chalkboard surface treatment, I just used a can of pre-made chalkboard paint. Ready-made and fairly inexpensive. Lastly, for the twine wrapping treatment, you will need some twine and your hot glue gun with replacement sticks. I prefer a very textured twine for this project.
How to decoupage: Tear your book pages or decorative paper into small pieces. No bigger that 2″x2″. The smaller the better. Then take you a paintbrush and give your pear (or jar or box 🙂 ) a nice heavy coat of the mod podge. Give the glue a few seconds to become tacky then take a piece of the paper and place it randomly onto the pear. Take your paint brush and brush on more mod podge to secure the piece of paper to the pear and flatten it against the surface.
Continue covering the pear with small pieces of the torn paper and coating it with mod podge. Use the paintbrush to push the edges of the paper flush with the pear. Set to dry overnight. I like to give everything I decoupage a coat of clear protective enamel spray paint from Krylon. You can choose a matte or glossy finish. In this case, I did a matte finish.
Chalkboard Surface Treatment: This one could not be any simpler. I took a piece of tin foil and scrunched it around the stem to protect it from the paint and took the pear outside. With a gloved hand, I held the pear at the stem and sprayed it with the other. Make sure to not spray to close, as to avoid drips. I tied a piece of string around the stem and hung to dry for 12 hours.
For such a small project I don’t bother with a second coat (like the can recommends). The last step is to ‘prime’ your pear by lightly covering it with chalk. Wipe clean with your hand or a paper towel and then you are free to draw away! Cute & super easy 🙂
How to wrap with twine: This surface treatment takes a little longer, but it is totally worth it. I see similar items in Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs catalogs all the time! I started at the top and worked my way down. Add a dab of hot glue close to the stem and press the end of your twine into it. Be careful with this craft because it is very easy to burn your fingertips!
Slowly start wrapping the twine around the pear. Make sure there is no space between the twine as you wrap. About every third wrap, add another dab of hot glue and press the twine into it. This will ensure that your twine will stay in place. As you reach the bottom you will find yourself adding more glue to keep the wraps in place. Trim off the end of the twine and secure in place with one last dab of hot glue.
That’s it! I love all three of these treatments and use them all the time. Perfect to spruce up any table setting, perk up that old bookcase or make a few with the same treatment to throw in a bowl for kitchen decor. Hope you found these quick tips helpful & inspirational. Thank you for stopping by!
