Decor
12/27/201602/25/2017 Olga Bilovitskaya
The things that bring the most pleasure are those that are made or restored with your own hands, especially if they have been given a second wind. This could be decoupage of an old suitcase. To create a unique vintage product, you don’t need specific skills and abilities; you just need to choose a decoration technique and allocate a little time for your creativity.
The technique of decoupage (applying a decorative pattern to a surface) has been known since the 17th century. Nowadays, it not only has not lost popularity, but is also experiencing a revival. Working methods and materials have changed somewhat, but the essence of creativity remains the same. Among things that are given a second life, old suitcases are especially popular. These items can be turned into a variety of useful and, most importantly, beautiful things for the home.
There are several stylistic trends in the decoupage technique:
- Shabby chic style . The main background is white, with shades of ivory or pink. The item should have a slightly aged appearance, for which abrasions and the effect of cracks (craquelure) are artificially created. Light colors predominate in the compositions;
- Provence . Reminiscent of shabby chic, only olive tones are added. Pictures of various plants and twigs are the main theme. Patenting (blurring, reminiscent of copper deposits) is often used here. You can find a master class on the Internet where this technique is shown in detail;
- Simplecity . It uses old newspapers, magazine clippings, postcards, sheet music, photos of ancient sights;
- Victorian style . The main leitmotif is engravings and thematic pictures of the 17th-18th centuries. Shades of burgundy, gold and beige predominate.
Related article: Wall decoration: making bright paper crafts with your own hands
It is clear that any classification is conditional. You can fantasize, mix styles, add something new.
What you need for work: decoupage of an old suitcase
Suitcases have a long history - at some point they went out of fashion, and new travel bags were both more convenient and prettier, but they could hardly boast the same, one might say, charisma. Then Soviet suitcases are taken from the mezzanine, and modern craftswomen use these well-worn suitcases to make an ultra-fashionable item. From a strict brown suitcase, for example, a shabby chic style travel bag is made. Or Provence, or something in a retro style that evokes pleasant associations.
Before you start decoupaging a thing, you first need to think about its appearance and prepare materials for work
In order to decoupage a suitcase, you will need:
- Three-layer paper napkins;
- Acrylic primer or white paint;
- Special glue for decoupage;
- Pastel crayons (beige, olive, pink) or the same eye shadow;
- Roller;
- Acrylic paint “Vintage Rose”;
- Fan tassel;
- Sharp scissors;
- Sponge;
- Clear acrylic varnish;
- Pieces of leather for patches;
- Awl;
- Suitcase handle (new);
- Acetone;
- Fine-grained sandpaper.
When everything is ready, you can begin the so-called restoration work. This includes removing the paper that lines the inside of the suitcase. Wipe all surfaces - first with a cloth soaked in soapy water, then with a damp, clean cloth.
Leave the suitcase to dry. If there are damaged areas on the suitcase, then patches are applied with an awl and a piece of the desired leather. And they are usually fixed with self-tapping screws.
How to decoupage an old suitcase with napkins - master class
Turn the prepared suitcase upside down if you are going to tape it completely. If not, start from the middle of the lid. Prepare all the necessary tools and materials and get to work:
- Divide beautiful paper napkins so that only the top layer with the pattern remains (that is, disassemble multi-layer napkins into separate layers). The napkin can be used completely or the necessary fragments can be cut out;
- place the napkin in the desired place. Start working from the middle of the surface and move to the edges;
- Using a sponge or fan paint brush and decoupage glue (you can use PVA diluted with water to the consistency of liquid cream), glue the napkin. This is done as follows: the composition is applied from the middle of the napkin with smooth movements to the edges, so that all air bubbles come out from under it and the unevenness is smoothed out;
- Do this with all napkins. If the napkins are sufficiently transparent, then you can repeat another layer ;
- After the glue has completely dried, cover the suitcase with several layers of acrylic varnish. It can be different: matte, glossy and even with glitter. Choose for your own purposes;
- finish the decor of the suitcase: make a new handle from beads on a wire or an old belt, if necessary;
- decorate the product with additional elements.
Decoupage with napkins - DIY suitcase decor master class
Greetings, dear blog readers!
Last week we started decoupaging an old suitcase. Yes, yes, the same one that the fairy Larisa brought for its restoration. Today I want to show you a DIY suitcase decoupage master class using napkins with an aging effect. This little story is about how an old suitcase gets a second life.
This is what he was like before he fell into Larisa’s hands.
Go!
The materials we needed were:
- acrylic art primer Sonnet
- PVA glue
- white acrylic paint based on gypsum (chalk)
- napkins
- acrylic paints
- wax paste
- acrylic lacquer
Let's heal him a little shabby. The sheathing has peeled off in places and needs to be sealed with PVA glue, which is what we did.
Cover the pre-sanded surface with black primer.
A little beige color was added to the white paint, due to which it acquired a warm tint. It may not be very noticeable in the photo. We paint the entire surface with it.
Here Larisa creates shabby scuff marks with a damp cloth and removes paint from metal elements.
She has long been passionate about creativity and creates incredibly soulful folk dolls, so we selected a drawing that suits her lifestyle. On the lid there will be these ladies, passionate about sewing, from the cover of an old magazine.
We will complete the rest of the space with a frame. Frames can be drawn using a stencil; we printed them on napkins.
You can see how to print a picture on a napkin here.
We will decorate the sides with roses to match the main picture. All napkins are glued in parts. So that the joints of the napkins are not visible, their edges should not be cut out, but torn.
Despite the fact that the drawing is on a white background, the borders of the napkin remain very noticeable. Therefore, Larisa paints them over with the same paint that we applied to the main background.
The frames turned out to be very bright for this work. If only they were a little lighter. Let's tint them with liquid white paint and the color of the frames will become more muted.
All that remains is to darken the sides and some other places where the suitcase could possibly get dirty. He's old after all.
Satisfied with the result, we coat it with acrylic wear-resistant varnish. In this case, it was coated with acrylic urethane varnish from Parade.
Gold wax paste was added to the metal elements.
Hurray, we're done! Now the dolls will live in such a light suitcase. Unfortunately, the interior is not decorated, but I hope fairy Larisa will show us what comfort she will create inside it. I would like to thank her for her participation in the master class and the truly sincere creative atmosphere.
More of Larisa's suitcases.
And to you, dear readers, inspiration and decoupage extravaganza! Thanks for stopping by. Leave comments and subscribe to news. Bye bye.
Decorating an old suitcase
What is an old suitcase for? You can't go to Bali with him. You can store old sheet music, children's photos, New Year's toys, moth-eaten hats and other rubbish. And let it gather dust on the mezzanine for another five hundred years. But what if there is no mezzanine? If you're obsessed with old suitcases? Does the thought of the travels and adventures experienced by the owner take your breath away? And your hand doesn’t rise to throw away such a treasure? In this master class, I will show you how to turn an old suitcase into a bright interior accent, a place to store trinkets dear to your heart. Let's get started. We will need:
- old suitcase
- acrylic paints
- acrylic primer
- paper masking tape
- brushes, stationery knife
- cardboard
- acrylic lacquer
The old suitcase must be washed, glued if necessary and degreased.
The second required stage is priming. I use artist's acrylic primer. I apply in 2-3 layers.
To create even strips, masking tape is useful.
Now you can mix acrylic colors and paint the suitcase. I chose bright, open colors. With our weather, a person sometimes needs to see something life-affirming!
There will be a vignette picture on the cover. You will need an oval template, pre-cut from cardboard.
Avoiding the vignette area, paint the lid of the suitcase.
I like the surface to have a worn look. You can lighten the places on the folds of the suitcase with a dry brush, adding white to the color. Or, on the contrary, “stain” a light surface with darker paint, imitating patina.
Large color spots can be diluted with a suitable report.
It's time for painting. First we transfer the drawing from the sketch. If you don't know how to draw well, you can use an illustration from a professional artist. But, of course, with the permission of the author. The plot for my suitcase is very ancient and deeply philosophical: about love and friendship of opposites. The color scheme is contrasting and bright. These colors are especially loved by children. The main thing is that the amount of each color is not equal, then the picture is perceived more organically. First, I painted all the color spots locally. Then I added shadows, an ornament to the dresses and touches to the furry cat for texture.
Finally, you can work on the corners and vignette with paints in metallic colors. I took bronze and silver. Don't forget the final varnish!
More photos of suitcases painted at different times. They all found their place in my life or someone else's life.
And also. One day we retired in close company with our students in our workshop and painted 7 wonderful suitcases. The artists gathered cheerful, ironic and resilient (since the master class lasted a little longer than planned). But the result was decent! We tried to diversify the subjects and color schemes. We have a couple of French musical rats, and Totoro, and classic stories of insomnia, kidnapping, temptation, and caffeine obsession.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Anna Chulanova “Art Doll Club”♛ (CHOOKLA)
