Michelle @Our Crafty Mom created the group - All Things Dollar Store - on FaceBook back in July and hosted a giveaway for the members. She created a fun craft challenge using chinoiserie napkins she provided to the winners.
The entry requirements were:
The first 15 people to invite another crafty friend to join the group, (the friend must join) will receive 4 of these gorgeous napkins in the mail from her.
Complete your own vase and share a finished photo with the group that will be pinned to our Dollar Store Pinterest Group Board, and possibly shared on Facebook and Instagram.. All you need to make the vase are the 4 napkins and 3 Dollar Tree supplies.
I was one of the lucky ones to receive these goodies from Michelle! And I made a decoupage chinoiserie ginger jar with lid out of them. It was fun using as many items I could get from the dollar store to make this. If you'd like to make one too, here's how -
You will need:
Glass Vase (Dollar Tree)
White Acrylic Paint (Dollar Tree)
Mod Podge (Dollar Tree)
Scissors/Craft Knife
Plastic Cling Wrap (Dollar Tree)
Paint/Foam Brush (Dollar Tree)
Styrofoam Ball
Cardboard
Twine (Dollar Store)
Wood Ball (Handle)
DAP Multi-Purpose Adhesive
Let's begin by wiping down a clean vase with alcohol to remove any grease or oil and let dry.
Then paint the vase using white acrylic paint and a sponge brush from the dollar store. Dollar Tree recently increased it's available craft items and there's a wonderful selection to choose from.
The napkin has an adorable border around the design which I cut out to use later.
Next, start tearing out large areas of the napkins to use - and tearing off the hard edges created by the scissors. I like to have feathered edges instead of straight ones when I decoupage. They blend in much better and the edges are not as defined as the straight edges when dry.
Then separate the layers of the napkin, in this case, two white layers, revealing the printed side.
Next, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to small areas of the vase and lay the napkin down on top, smoothing out in sections because of the roundness of the vase. Use plastic wrap to smooth out any wrinkles before applying Mod Podge to the top of the napkin. A wet napkin tends to lift up or tear if smoothed out with plastic wrap.
Continue adding sections of the printed napkin layer to the vase in the same manner as before . . .
until the vase is completely covered. Fill in spaces with additional pieces of napkin designs using the same method, as before. And be sure to smooth out any wrinkles using plastic wrap before adding Mod Podge on top of the napkin. Let dry and then add a layer of Mod Podge to the entire napkin area to seal and let dry.
To Make The Lid: Place a 3-4" styrofoam ball into the open area of the vase that fits and sits evenly without falling through. Draw a line around the ball using the edge of the vase as a guide. Using a craft knife, cut the ball in half at the line mark.
Decoupaging a styrofoam ball or even a half a ball completely with a napkin can be tricky. What I tried worked for me - but as I've discovered decoupaging different items, certain techniques don't always work. Sometimes, I amaze myself that it actually worked and other times, I've failed big time. The best part with napkin decoupage, most times you can just soak it in water to remove and start over.
I found a round flat top that was a couple of inches larger than the styrofoam ball to use as a template for a circle to cut out of the napkin. Then fold the circle into four parts and cut out along the folds. Separate the layers to use the printed sides.
Next, cut slits in the bottom of the triangles so the edges would lay flat and not make more creases when adding the MP.
Then apply a thin layer of MP and smooth out the napkin piece over the area.
Next, matched up the next napkin piece and continued as before with the other pieces until the area is covered completely and relatively smooth.
Remember the napkin border I cut out in the beginning? Trim it to fit the area around the bottom of the dome and apply with Mod Podge.
I'm loving the look, but I need to add a lip to the top for a more traditional ginger jar look! To do this, make a template out of thin cardboard . . .
and paint white. Since the sides of the cardboard circle was open corrugated, I glued on twine around the edges thinking it would smooth out the sides of the lip . . .
but that was a big mistake.
The twine became hard and bumpy and caused the napkin to look uneven around the edges after gluing the napkin on with MP. I continued assembling the lid, though - attaching the dome shape to the lip using a multi-purpose adhesive.
Paint a small wooden ball white and decoupage the same way as the dome . . .
and glue it on top, completing the look!
Thanks for stopping by
and take a little time
to enjoy,
Happy Dollar Store Crafting!
