The Decoupage Book: More Than 60 Decorative Projects Using Simple Techniques - Softcover

Enjoying a revival over the past few years, decoupage no longer requires that traditional images be buried under innumerable coats of heavy varnish. Nowadays--particularly with the array of classy gift-wrap and the quick-drying coatings widely available--this craft allows for a great deal of creativity and experimentation. The Decoupage Book offers a wealth of information on materials and techniques for both the traditional and more contemporary approaches. Ranging from boxes, frames, plates, and lamps to dimensional pictures, art collages, folding screens, and furniture, the projects are well explained and nicely photographed.

What was previously considered a cut-and-paste hobby suitable only for children has now been elevated into a design-wise craft. The art of decoupage, initially popularized in modern times by Leslie Linsley, has actually experienced a renaissance twice before--in the eighteenth century and in the Victorian era. Thanks to contact with and cooperation by a number of talented artisans, Boswell has not only applied a wonderful sense of contemporary design (and whimsy--such as an ironing board covered with dress patterns) to an old craft, but also has revived other decoupage forms, such as repouss‚ (three-dimensional cut-outs), potichomania (a combination of interior decoupage and painting on clear glass), and eggshell applications. Over half of the more than 60 projects simply show the finished piece with a descriptive blurb; more complicated patterns receive a step-by-step treatment. Barbara Jacobs