The thing about crafting with your stash is…it’s really easy to get fixated on one thing, like punching up ALL my paper scraps into square tiles (yeah, like that’s ever going to happen – I’m drowning in paper scraps over here).
But ever since my last post about making paper mosaic greeting cards, I’ve been on a mission to keep punching, punching, punching away…in the hopes of making a bigger dent in my paper stash.
So today I bring you a cute idea for upcycling a old wood tray – paper mosaics are perfect for decoupage!
Supplies
- Wood tray
- Craft paint
- Scrapbook papers
- 1″ paper punch, paper trimmer
- Decoupage medium
- Paintbrushes, sandpaper
Clean and lightly sand the tray as needed, then paint with 2 coats of your favorite color.
Punch or trim 1″ squares from a variety of scrapbook papers. Try arranging different combinations of the tiles, such as two different patterns in the same colors, random patchwork, symmetrical “quilt block” designs, or the same pattern in two different colors.
Measure the tray to determine how many 1″ tiles you need to cover, then lay out your tiles on your work surface. If the tray dimensions are not exactly divisible by 1″ – you can work from the center out and leave a blank border around the edges, or work from the edges in toward the center (like I did) and leave a blank stripe. I added 1/4″ paper borders to my center stripe.
Adhere the tiles to the tray with decoupage medium, press everything down smoothly and let dry thoroughly. Then apply a sealing coat of medium over the whole tray and let dry again.