Lovely Decoupage Collage

Simple Valentine's Day crafts are a great way to show you care. Make a Lovely Decoupage Collage from Terri O for that special someone in your life.


 

Materials:

• 4 glass front picture frames (we found ours at our local Michael's for about $3.50 a piece)
• Collage images
• Vintage sheet music or other ephemera
• Wire edged ribbon, about 5 ft.
• Decoupage medium
• Paintbrush or sponge brush
• 8 1/2"x11" brown cardstock
• Silver super fine glitter
• Glitter glue
• Prima mulberry flowers

Instructions:

1. Before you begin gluing, be sure to have all of your collage elements cut out and ready. Once you have a good variety of images ready remove the clips from your picture frames and lay the glass panels down on your work surface.
    
2. Decoupage the entire surface of all 4 glass panels, making sure to fill in any spaces with small bits of sheet music, postage stamps, etc. I like to pick up the panels by the edge and peek every once in a while to make sure I am getting good coverage. It is best to apply a bit of collage medium just to the area of glass that you will immediately be covering, then apply a thin layer to the collage element, and then place it face down, and brush another layer of medium on the back of the image. Be sure to press out any bubbles or ridges with your finger.
    
3. Once you are happy with your collage, let your panels dry completely, then trim off any excess paper that is hanging over the edges.
    
4. While your collages are drying, print out the letters L-O-V-E onto your brown cardstock. We used a font called bosox.
    
5. Your letters should be 4 inches high and about 3 1/2" wide so the will be centered nicely on your panels. Trace the outlines of your letters with a glitter glue pen, and then apply glitter liberally. Funnel the excess glitter back into the bottle for future use.
    
6. Reassemble the picture frames, sandwiching the collaged images between the glass front and the frame back.
    
7. Once the glitter is dried completely, cut out your letters and use spray mount to adhere them to the front of your finished collage panels.
    
8. Tie all four panels together, running the ribbon through the clips and then tying them in a bow in the front. Add a hanging loop to the top panel. Add a bow and flower to the top. Hang and enjoy!