Weddingbee Blog

This project was a little out of my routine. Usually, I make a skirt every Thursday while Mr. Lollipop and a friend go out for pizza and beer. But it was another late work day, so I had to do something that would take 20 minutes instead of two hours. I really like my skirts with pockets, so it’s better to wait until the pressure is off to cut corners in order to get to some sleep, because, well, pockets are the first thing to go in a time crunch. I hope I can return to my usual “Make-a-Skirt Thursday” next week, but this project was fun.

I have a little collection of Japanese washi paper purchased from a shop in Asakusa just a stone’s throw from the Kaminarimon Gate*. The Tobu line connecting to Tochigi prefecture used to terminate in Asakusa (it now goes all the way to Shinjuku), so I was a frequent visitor while Mr. Lollipop lived in Imaichi city.

I’ve decoupaged a lot of things with my little bundle of paper, and because I only take little bits each time I still have at least a quarter of each sheet left. This project will only take a little bit more to cover the top cover of an Altoid-sized tin.

Supplies:

• Tin
• Mod Podge Glue (I’m partial to the glossy kind)
• Pretty Paper cut into bits
• Sponge Brush or paint brush
• X-acto Knife (Optional)

First, remove the lid from the bottom of the tin. This will keep the bottom half from getting gummy from the glue. I like to put thin pieces of paper around the edges of the tin first and then fill in the top. Just load your sponge brush or paint brush up with glue and cover an area and then place your piece of paper. I usually sponge on top of whatever I’ve just laid down, especially around the edges because this both seals the paper and makes it more flexible for bending and creasing into place.

After I’ve covered my tin top, I’ll go back and sponge on a few coats over the top of my paper to keep it in place, smooth down the differences in the layers, and add some gloss. This tin has two coats, but I might add a third.

I really like how colors stand out with a few glossy coats of Mod Podge. I even used the same stuff to seal a wooden game board when time constraints ruled out lacquer. It even adds moderate water-proofing to paper projects. So, yay for Mod Podge; I use it by the bucket-full.

This is a fun little project for gifts or favors!

*As an aside, I kind of hate saying Kaminarimon Gate, because of the redundancy of saying ‘mon’ and ’gate’, which mean the same thing. It’s like the “3-cheese queso” at Qdoba. I wish we could say ‘Kaminari Gate’ in English, but probably no one would know what I was talking about. It kills me little inside.