Placemats Tutorial completed, thanks to SOA!!!!

Summer of Awesomeness project completed - Get Motivated!

DECOUPAGED PLACEMAT TUTORIAL BELOW

(Note---spellcheck kept trying to get me to change 'placemat' to 'placenta'. Now that would be a whole different project altogether, now wouldn't it?)

Thanks to a much-needed kick in the pants from Bettina, I got motivated to finish my placemats I'd started months ago. Do you have lots of projects languishing on all surfaces of your house? If your house is perfect and organized, just don't tell me.

I bought a set of 4 placemats for $3.00 at Goodwill. They weren't hideous, just kind of blah. They came in a nice, sturdy storage box, too.

The cork backs are good for our glass table since they glide instead of scratch.

I've been saving this copy of "Meet the Woodland Folk" for a family project. We all really like the books. Did you ever read them? I didn't find the Woodland Folk series until I was an adult, but I am crazy about the detailed illustrations and happy forest creatures. Thanks, Tony Wolf---you've made the world a nicer place. I wish I could go give him a hug and make him some cookies. Richard Scarry, too.

TUTORIAL:

(I am going to make this one super duper EASY-you can even do it with mild heat stroke!)

SUPPLIES:

4 placemats (or more if you're one of those crafty Mormon/Catholic/hippy families)
A book that you don't mind cutting up that is the same height (or very close) as your placemats
Plain old school glue
scissors
Our Beloved Mod Podge

1. Cut the pages of the book to fit the edge of the placemat. The placemat was curved, so I stuck it top of the page, and traced the edge of the placemat. That's the hardest part!

2. Now just have fun picking out images to go on each placemat. (This is optional--->) I overlapped 2 pages for each placemat. To make it look slightly more 'decoupaged', I cut a few shapes out to make them overlap the next page a little more gracefully.

3. Apply school glue smoothly to the back of the book pages. Carefully place the page on the placemat, aligning edges. Working fairly quickly, smooth out any air bubbles or excess glue, working from the center out to the edge of the paper. Some people use a little brayer? (I think that's the word) or a small rolling pin. You can also use your fingers. However, try to be careful not to get glue on the front of the book pages. Some printing inks will run if you get glue on them then push your finger over the surface. You can always test a scrap page of the book first.

4. Let the school glue dry, then coat the top with 2-5 layers of Mod Podge, depending on how glossy and well-protected you want it. If you have energetic children that like to stab things with forks, put lots of coats on. If you have mild, calm children, or adults in your home, then 2 coats should be fine.

That's it! Clean them with a damp dishtowel or sponge (soft side), and don't scrub really hard.

I let everyone in my house pick out their favorite images. Adam chose the spring party and the Oak Tree Terrace. (Click on any photo for a larger image in another screen.)

I liked the fireflies and the fawn poking its head into the fiber-crafty mousehouse. (In the story, he and his sister are cold, so the mice knit them scarves. I know, I could puke from the cuteness.)

Violet likes all things water-related, so she chose these. In the upper left, check out the team of bees pulling a beetle on a pea-ski!

This one will be for a guest. Or a future little Irrgang if we have one. I like how the animals are making a meal out of just a kernel of corn. They look so excited!

Did I mention the handy storage box? I like placemats, and have several sets, so I like to store them neatly. Send me photos of any of your SOA projects and I'll be happy to post them.

Comments

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BEYOND! First, I like wipeable placemats. This woodland animal theme is just so special for a child. So much to look at and learn while doing it. I hope you and Adam have one, too, 'cause don't tell me adults wouldn't have just as much fun with these.

Posted by: Charlotte | July 01, 2011 at 12:48 PM