How to Decoupage using Paper Napkins

I bought some beautiful little party napkins on clearance for next to nothing and finally put them to good use. Decoupaging is a fun project and you can use all kinds of things to do it, including fabric, paper, and yes, even paper napkins. Aside from whatever medium you choose, the only other things you really need to decoupage are some craft paste, such as Mod Podge, a brush to apply the paste, and of course whatever it is you want to cover or finish. Here I used a couple of extra tools which I’ll talk more about a little later.

In this post, I’m sharing with you a scrap piece of wood, a Ball pint canning jar, and a cool vinegar bottle that I had cleaned out and saved. These things are proof that you don’t need anything overly fancy to make something really beautiful.

Here’s a photo of my projects and what I used to make them; the only thing not pictured is the raffia ribbon and silk ribbon that I used to finish the candle holder (Ball canning jar) and the essential oil diffuser or vase (vinegar bottle).

How to Decoupage using Paper Napkins

Here’s a full list of what I used and how I made the projects shown here:

Wood Panel

• Piece of wood, sanded and, if you’d like, painted
• Paper napkins, white backing removed
• Mod Podge, satin finish
• Foam brush
• Roller (you can use an old rolling pin or bottle instead)
• Sandpaper – I used 180 grit

Directions

• Wipe the wood down with a damp cloth and let dry
• If you’ve not removed the backing to the napkin(s) make sure you do so before continuing
• Arrange the dry napkin on the wood and decide how you’re going to place it
• Use the foam brush to apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the wood
• Starting at one section of the wood (either the middle or one end) lay the napkin on the wood and smooth, being careful not to tear it. Lay the rest of the napkin down in small increments, smoothing as you go.
• Once the napkin is down, use the roller to smooth it out and get rid of any air bubbles
• Let dry for at least 4 hours
• Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge over the napkin
• Let dry for at least 12 hours
• For a distressed look, sand the top and edges of the finished piece. Go easy here and start with gentle sanding and be sure to only sand in one direction. You can always sand more off but once you’ve sanded too much, you can’t go back.
• If desired, you can spray the finished piece with a protective clear acrylic spray

Canning Jar Candle Holder or Vase

• Ball pint canning jar
• Paper napkins, white backing removed
• Mod Podge, satin finish
• Foam Brush
• Raffia ribbon

Directions

• Arrange the dry napkin on the jar and determine how you’re going to place it. As you can see in the photos, I cut mine so it stops before the screw-top edge, which I then covered with the raffia ribbon. It also stops at the bottom edge of the jar; the bottom of the jar isn’t covered.
• Use the foam brush and apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to just the front area of the jar
• Lay the napkin on the jar and gently use your fingers or a roller to smooth it out
• Once the front is smooth, apply Mod Podge to the next side, smoothing as you go
• Repeat on all sides until the jar is covered
• Let dry 24 hours
• If desired, you can spray the finished piece with a protective clear acrylic spray and let dry 24 hours
• Tie a piece of raffia ribbon around the top

Essential Oil Diffuser or Vase

• Empty, clean glass bottle
• Paper napkins, white backing removed
• Mod Podge, satin finish
• Foam brush
• Silk ribbon
• Small, skinny paintbrush (you can also use a toothpick)

Directions

• Arrange the dry napkin on the bottle and determine how you’re going to place it. I cut mine so it stops before the shoulder edge and also stopped at the bottom edge of the jar; the bottom of the jar isn’t covered. I did have to cut an extra slice of the napkin that I used on the back, as the small napkin didn’t wrap around the entire bottle.
• Use the foam brush and apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to just the front area of the bottle
• Lay the napkin on the bottle and gently use your fingers or a roller to smooth it out
• Once the front is smooth, apply Mod Podge to the next side, smoothing as you go
• Repeat on all sides until the bottle is covered
• If needed, apply the extra piece of napkin to cover the gap on the back
• Let dry 24 hours
• If you want to add ribbon trim to your bottle to cover the raw edge as I did, measure the ribbon pieces so that they’ll just barely overlap
• I used 2 pieces of ribbon trim (one on the top and one on the bottom) so I measured one piece and then cut the second piece to match it.
• Using a small paintbrush, apply the ribbon with Mod Podge just like you did the napkin, starting in the front and applying it around the bottle. Be sure to straighten it as you go because once the Mod Podge is dry, it’s too late.
• Let dry for 24 hours
• If desired, you can spray the finished piece with a protective clear acrylic spray
• Let dry for 24 hours

I am beyond happy with how well these projects turned out. I’m thinking of adding some beautiful glass hooks to the decoupaged wood board to make it into a coat or key holder.

These little projects took me just a couple of days to complete in my spare time, so that’s proof you don’t need a lot of free time to make beautiful creations.

If you’re new to Mod Podge or similar items, be sure to look out for the different finishes they come in; they typically come in a range of finishes from matte to high gloss.

Another addition you can make is applying a little Mod Podge to the top of the finished item (pre-acrylic spray if you’re using it) and sprinkling a little iridescent glitter all over, to give it a bit of sparkle. This would be especially pretty on the candle holder.

Ready to start decoupaging? Wondering how to do easy decoupage with paper napkins? Now you know just how fun and easy it is! Please comment if I missed anything or wasn’t clear, I’ll be happy to help.

If you’ve ever wondered how to recycle, reuse, or repurpose glass jars, scrap wood, glass vases, canning jars, clear glass candle holders, and so many other things, this is a lovely, inexpensive way to do it.

I hope you’ll give this project a try!

If you’d like to check out how I made these gorgeous little jewelry boxes using napkin decoupage, you can see the full tutorial here.

Thanks for stopping by!