In order not to panic when leaving the house in search of keys, it is best to equip a permanent place for storage. Most people use a key keeper for this. Having placed it correctly, it will be difficult to forget the keys when going outside. And upon returning, you can hang the bunch back. The most popular types of key holders are wall and pocket.
Of course, now in stores a large assortment of key holders for every taste. But at some point you may come up with an idea that no one has yet put into practice, or you want to make someone a sweet housewarming gift. For such a case, it is worth mastering simple needlework to make a beautiful housekeeper with your own hands - decoupage, for example.
Decoupage Technique
Decoupage (fr. Découper - cut) is a way of decorating objects based on attaching any image (usually cut out) to the object and coating the product with varnish for durability and a special visual effect.
In fact, decoupage is an application made on almost any surface and coated with varnish. With the help of such an application, European furniture makers of the 17th century imitated expensive oriental inlays, which significantly reduced the cost of furniture. Gradually, this craft became popular among all segments of the population.
Now in this way decorate objects made of plastic, wood, glass, fabric, metal. This can be ordinary furniture, musical instruments, plain household utensils, boring dishes and interior items, Christmas tree decorations, Easter eggs, as well as textiles, shoes and accessories. This kind of creativity, such as decoupage of key holders, is also very common. We will dwell on this in more detail.
If you wish, you can find many options for the decoupage of housekeepers, master classes and useful tips. Many experienced decoupage artists are happy to share their findings, secrets and tricks, broadcast, shoot video tutorials.
Let's consider two relatively simple ways to decoupage a wall housekeeper with your own hands - this is a housekeeper and a rectangular housekeeper. Such products are the best suited for beginners, because they have a simple shape. Perhaps these are the most common ideas for decoupage of housekeepers.
Housekeeper
This is one of the most popular models of open key storage devices. Before starting work, cover the table with unnecessary oilcloth or a large plastic bag. For the decoupage of the housekeeper, the following materials and tools will be needed:
- Napkins or prints of drawings for decor.
- Blank for decoupage of the key holder (can be found in the needlework store or made from plywood 1 cm thick).
- Drill.
- Hooks and suspensions.
- Sandpaper.
- Solid rubber spatula (sold at a hardware store).
- Scissors.
- Wide tape.
- White acrylic paint.
- Brown color.
- Acrylic lacquer.
- Hard putty on wood.
- Putty knife for applying putty.
- 2 flat brushes, fan-shaped brush.
- Sponge or sponge.
Preparation of drawings
To decorate objects using decoupage technique, both ready-made napkins and images printed on the printer are used. When using napkins, it is better not to cut out the picture, but to carefully tear it out, removing excess layers of paper and moistening the area around the image. Then its edges will be fuzzy, the image will merge better with the background.
With the pictures you like, the situation is more complicated.
Firstly, printouts must be done in pigment ink or on a laser printer. Pictures printed on an inkjet printer fade over time.
Secondly, not every paper is suitable for decoupage. For example, according to reviews by some artists, rice paper does not mix well with varnish, and printing on white napkins is difficult and time consuming.
Best suited for office and photo paper. In this case, office paper will be used. But, having printed a drawing on it, it still needs to be layered, because it is quite dense. Otherwise, merging with the background may be incomplete, then it will be seen that the picture is pasted. And your task is to make an imitation of the mural.
To peel a sheet of A4 office paper, you can use the method proposed by Anna Turchina, the founder of her own decoupage school. Cover the entire clean side of the sheet with a wide adhesive tape, stepping back from the long sides by about a centimeter. Strips of adhesive tape should partially overlap each other. Iron the entire surface several times so that the adhesive tape is firm and even. It is most convenient to do this with a solid rubber spatula, leading them along the paper first along and then across. Then slowly, in a horizontal motion, peel off the adhesive tape together with the top layer of paper, starting from any angle. In this case, be sure to hold the bottom layer of paper on which the pattern is printed, while maintaining tension.
This method allows you to remove the excess layer of paper evenly, so that the picture does not tear. Then cut the desired fragments with scissors to your liking.
House-shaped workpiece processing
Drill holes for suspensions. Then level the workpiece surface. If there are no special defects, you can do it with sandpaper. If there are chippings and chips, it is better to put a putty on the surface of the wood. Pay special attention to the joints of parts - there may be small gaps. If you get bumps, you need to treat the surface with sandpaper.
Apply three layers of acrylic paint on the house with a flat brush, each time allowing it to dry (this takes about an hour). Then sand the surface again. Make sure that the paint does not remain on the fingers.
To give the surface a more interesting texture, you can use a sponge instead of a brush. The sponge needs to be lowered into the paint and with a soaking motion to paint over the background. If there are left unpainted areas, you can use a brush.
Gluing pattern
Mix water and PVA glue in a 1: 1 ratio. Fan-shaped brush, apply the resulting composition to the key holder. Gently glue the desired fragments in the direction from the middle and carefully smooth with the same brush to remove excess bubbles. Carefully tear off excess paper. Along the edges, apply another layer of adhesive.
Painting
After the glue has dried, it is necessary to color the edges of the workpiece in brown. To do this, take the brown color with a sponge and gently apply it to the edges.
Final stage
After the paint dries, coat the key holder several times with glossy acrylic varnish with obligatory drying of the layers. To make the product smoother, the intermediate layers can also be very easily and accurately treated with a sandpaper. When the varnish dries, attach suspensions and hooks.
Rectangular key keeper
If you want to use a photo key or a bright printed picture in the decoupage, it is best to use them on photo paper, because its color reproduction is better than office color. In this case, for a start it will be more convenient to make a key holder of a simple rectangular shape. You can use a piece of plywood or even a cutting board as a blank.
To make a rectangular key holder, you will need the following:
- rectangular blank for decoupage of the key holder;
- image printed on matte A4 photo paper with a density of 230 g / m 2 ;
- white acrylic paint;
- brown color;
- sandpaper or rough nail file;
- grinding sponge;
- soft rubber spatula;
- acrylic varnish for baths and saunas ;
- glue varnish;
- basin with water;
- scissors;
- 3 flat brushes;
- sponge or sponge;
- acrylic-urethane-based varnish;
- drill;
- hooks and suspensions.
Rectangular processing
Drill holes for suspensions. Coat the workpiece with two layers of acrylic paint and grind it with a saw file.
Drawing preparation
In order to use the image printed on photo paper for decoupage of the housekeeper, you can use the method of Tatyana Blokhnina, an experienced craftsman from Mezhdurechensk. The method consists in transferring the picture to the film using acrylic varnish for baths and saunas. To do this, use a flat brush to apply the varnish in 2-3 layers on the drawing, each time allowing it to dry. For a more even application, it is best to always brush in the same direction.
After all the layers have dried, you need to cut out the picture (cut off the edges) and completely place it in a container of warm water for 20-25 minutes. During this time, the picture will switch to varnish, forming a film that can be pried off with a fingernail and carefully removed with a horizontal movement, holding the bottom layer. Ideally, all paper should remain on the table.
If this does not work out, most likely the photo paper is loose or has lain too little in the water. Then wet the back of the drawing and rub the paper with your fingers, and wash the spools under the tap. Then blot the film on both sides with napkins and put it face down on the file.
Gluing image
On the reverse side of the resulting film, apply glue-varnish. Spread the workpiece evenly with it. After that, turn the film over with the file, glue it to the workpiece in the direction from the center and carefully smooth it out first with a cloth and then with a soft rubber spatula. Next, remove the file, apply glue-varnish to the entire image and rub it with your fingers to expel the remaining air bubbles. Remove excess film that extends beyond the edges of the workpiece with a sandpaper or rough nail file, drawing it away from the image.
Next, you need to wait until the glue dries. You cannot dry the product with a hairdryer - it should dry gradually at room temperature.
Paint coating
Apply a brown color on the edges of the product in two layers with a rounded sponge or sponge. Wait for the paint to dry completely.
Finishing finish
Coat the product with acrylic-urethane-based varnish in three layers, waiting for each to dry. When the varnish dries, attach suspensions and hooks.
Textile housekeeper
As mentioned above, the decoupage technique allows the use of not only paper, but also textiles.
The adhesive composition for gluing fabric is made from:
- 225 ml PVA glue;
- 112.5 ml of water;
- 2 tbsp water-based varnish;
- 2 tbsp high quality glitter.
To create such a key holder, you need to grind the surface of the workpiece, cover the edges with varnish or paint and make holes for the hooks. Then cut the oval from the dense fabric and make holes in the appropriate places, and then stick the fabric to the base and make the applique. After drying, it must be greased again with glue on top, and then attach the hooks.
Ideas for inspiration
You can find the unexpected use of kitchen utensils, turning them into a fun and useful accessory for the hallway. Your guests will be surprised when they enter the house and see a cutting board hanging at the door.
You can make a housekeeper in the style of Provence. Plaque of antiquity give it scuffs and applying light acrylic paint on top of the dark.
Decoupage of a housekeeper can be an interesting experience for you, a way to express yourself through creation or make a special gift to a loved one. And it may turn out to be the beginning of a long creative path, on which you will meet new acquaintances, broaden your horizons and endlessly improve your skills.