Artwork has always been my go-to for finishing touches in any room. With that being said artwork can be expensive so I am always looking for ways to hang art inexpensively.
I recently ordered three different decoupage papers to use on upcoming furniture projects. My favorite is a copy of a painting by Johannes Vermeer called Girl With A Pearl Earring. I had never really thought about using decoupage paper to make a piece of art until I was at Good Will and saw a picture in a gorgeous frame. Looking at the picture and frame, (which I did not care for, sorry Rembrandt), I could envision the Girl With The Pearl Earring in it. The framed picture was seven dollars, so I snapped it up.
The decoupage paper cost thirty dollars and with the price of the frame, I was looking at just $37 total. I thought it was worth the risk since a similar piece of artwork this size was more than $500 online.
I went for it!
I found this print on the Toscana website. It is about the same size as mine. The price was $550.
This is the piece of art I purchased from Good Will. The painting is a Rembrandt called Young Woman At An Open Half Door. It had some damage which made me feel less guilty about painting over it.
There were several marks like this in the picture.
I had to smooth out the marks so they would not show through the decoupage paper.
Using DRYDEX spackling and putty knife I filled the holes.
After it dried, I sanded it lightly.
I also wiped off any dust and dirt on the frame and picture before painting.
Using painters tape I covered the border so I would not get paint on it.
Using Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint, I said goodbye to Young Woman At An Open Half Door. Sorry!
The canvas was ready to decoupage.
Meet: Girl With The Pearl Earring. I purchased her on Etsy from Margarita Posh Chalk Deluxe Decoupage Paper.
Spreading Roman wallpaper and border adhesive, I started from the bottom and worked up.
For me the key to success with decoupage paper has been using a dry large chip brush to smooth the paper out. Once I had the entire paper down, I went over it with another coat of the wallpaper paste.
I am sorry to say that I did not take any more pictures. I was by myself and needed all my attention laying the paper down. Next time I will do a video.
I was extremely pleased with the way the decoupage paper came out. However, I did have white space on both sides because the decoupage paper was not wide enough.
Using my acrylic paints, I matched the background paint and seamlessly blended it together.
Here she is! A beautiful piece of artwork added to my home for thirty-seven dollars.
So worth it!