How to Make Decoupaged Jewelery - Charms, Brooches, Earrings And Pendants
by Tom Norton
Making your own jewelry is as fundamentally rewarding as it is lovely to wear. Most people associate decoupage with furniture
or pottery, but the technique translates well into some very
creative jewelry. The following article discusses how to make
simple jewelry using the decoupage craft method.
Decoupage Jewelery
Supplies:
The basic supplies required for decoupage jewelry include
sheets of chip board, scissors, decoupage sealer (that also
doubles as your adhesive), and pretty paper. Various jewelry
findings will also be needed to finish off your pieces and make them
into true jewels; these include items such as jump rings, chains, hooks, pin backs, etc.
How to Make Decoupaged Jewelery Instructions:
A pin is probably the easiest item to create. For instance,
find an image you like on thin paper - glossy wrapping paper
works well. Let's say it's a Victorian cherub or rosebud
bouquet. Cut your chip board to the size of your pendant-size
image. Glue your image with the sealer to the chip board. Paint
the back of your chipboard red or some corresponding color so
the piece will look finished from front to back. When the paint
is dry, give the back a coat or two of sealer allowing each
layer to dry before applying the neck.
The front of the piece may require more than simply your
cut-out bouquet. A nice touch would be to frame it with a very
thin border of gold foil, but you can make a frame from any
paper. Now, give the whole front of the piece about three coats
of sealer. Since this is going to be worn against the skin, be
sure to use a non-toxic decoupage sealer (most available from
the craft store will be non-toxic). Lacquer is also used to
coat a decoupage project, but since it is not a non-toxic
product, avoid it for jewelry projects.
When the front is dry, you can glue on your pin pack then place and
wear it. For charms, earrings and pendants, you simply vary
the size of your item and poke a hole in each piece for a jump
ring to fit. When complete, the jump ring can be attached to a
chain or bracelet sporting your new charms or pendant.
Some great images for decoupage include traditional cameo
pictures, silhouettes, leaves, flowers and butterflies. In the
case of the charm bracelet, vary the shapes by using ovals, squares,
circles and rectangles. The charms can even be fashioned into
earrings by adding fish hook earring wires. Decoupage jewelry
also makes some great holiday jewels depicting vintage
Halloween or Christmas images.
For more information on choosing Charms and Things for your own charm bracelets, see Winecharm.co.uk
Decoupage Crafting Tip: To prevent the ink from running when using an image printed from an inkjet printer, coat the picture with a thin mixture of white (PVA) glue and water. Brush on in a single sweep of the brush, if possible, and let dry. Now, when the project is sealed with varnish or a decoupage sealer, the ink should not "bleed."
The Victorian Scrap Gallery: A Collection of over 500 Full-Color Victorian-Era Images (Paperback)
