The art of decoupage involves gluing decorative papers to the surface of an object to decorate it. You might envision using tiny scissors to painstakingly cut small flowers or butterflies from a sheet of gift wrap or wallpaper and then carefully applying them to an object in a pleasing pattern. If this sounds like about as much fun as a root canal, this new version of the timeless art of decoupage is for you. The results are surprisingly snazzy and the process couldn't be easier.

First, there's no need for the time consuming cutting out of complex images. And let's face it, arranging them on a surface is no easy feat. How do you decide which goes where? Without a great eye, your arrangement can look stiff and amateurish. Choice of background color is another difficult problem. What color will coordinate with your images and still contrast enough so that the images show up? Then, your projects always need some kind of border or finishing edge to make them look complete. The wrong choice on this last step has sent many projects straight into the trash, and made many resolve never to decoupage again.

If you are one of those who have sworn off decoupage, or have never tried it, this is a great project to give you a new way to think of this age old process. You'll be surprised to know that the secret ingredient that makes it so easy and fun is paper napkins. A trip to any party or gift store will reveal that these utilitarian products are made in an astonishing array of patterns and color combinations. Some are so beautifully printed that they look like rich fabric, as is the case with the ones used to decorate the wastebasket shown here.

You'll also find paper napkins that have scalloped or shaped borders, as well as those with borders printed as part of the design. These are the ones best suited for our project, as the borders are what give the projects such a well-designed, finished look.

You'll be using whole sections of the napkins rather than bits and pieces cut from them, so there is no detailed snipping, no arrangement of motifs, and the background color and finishing borders are already there.

Mod Podge is still the best decoupage medium on the market. It acts as both a glue and a finish coat. Be generous in your application and remember that it dries clear.

Although we have chosen a wastebasket for our sample project, this process is equally well suite to any number of applications: follow the same steps to decorate plastic tissue box, a serving tray, a plain glass vase, or a recipe box. The surface created by this process is hard, durable and water resistant.

What You Need

Plastic wastebasket or other article
Mod Podge, matte finish
Junky brush
Paper napkins, in a couple of coordinating patterns

What To Do

1.. First, you need to determine the placement of the napkins on your article, taking advantage of the napkins' printed borders. For example, you might want to cover the entire wastebasket with the center, non-bordered section of the napkins, and after letting that dry, apply border strips all across the top and or bottom sections of the wastebasket.

2.To make a wastebasket using this design, first cut the center sections from a half dozen or so napkins. You don't have to worry about matching edges as you apply the napkins. They can even overlap .As you come to the top or the bottom of the wastebasket, do not trim the napkins. Instead, glue them over the edges with the medium so that none of the wastebasket shows.

3. Apply to wastebasket as follows: Use junky brush to slather on a generous amount of Mod Podge to an area the size of one of the pieces Lay the napkin piece flat over the Mod Podge. Using the junky brush and more Mod Podge, smooth the napkin flat onto the wastebasket. Because the napkin has two layers, you need to work the medium through both so they will adhere The surface will be slightly wrinkled. Don't worry about this--it gives a great texture on the finished piece. Cover the whole wastebasket in this way, so that the application of borders will be foolproof. Let dry.

4. Now, use the same techniques to apply borders or other design elements, working over the solid napkin background you have created. As you can see, you can continue in this manner, applying as many layers of decoration as you wish.