Decoupage << `day` koo PAHZH >> is the art of using paper cutouts to decorate furniture and such accessories as boxes, lamps, plaques, and trays. The finished object that has been decorated looks and feels like fine enamel. Cutouts can be taken from such articles as calendars, greeting cards, magazine and newspaper illustrations, photographs, and wrapping paper. The word decoupage comes from the French word decouper, meaning to cut out.
Four steps are usually involved in the art of decoupage. First, the surface of the object that is to be decorated must be sanded and, if wood, painted or stained. A protective sealer is then applied to the paper cutout, which is then glued to the object. Next, the decorated surface is covered with many coats of varnish or acrylic until the edge of the cutout cannot be felt. Last, the final coat is sanded smooth, polished, and waxed.
