Découpage, the art of applying pieces of cut paper designs, is one of the easiest ways to decorate and update a wide variety of surfaces. It was used in France in the 17th century to decorate furniture pieces, but the origins of the technique to use cut pieces of paper to decorate can be traced back hundreds of years to several cultures in Asia and Eastern Europe.
Scraps of Victorian images were the most popular cut outs in the 18th and 19th centuries, but paper napkin designs are a popular source for découpage today. The top printed layer is carefully separated from the rest of the napkin then applied to a surface with glue.
To learn more about the history of découpage, you just have to "google", but if you're looking for inspiration, check out our gallery of découpage projects below:
The Designer Crafts Connection is a group of premier Arts & Crafts industry designers who have joined together to share their creativity and design talents, to support and promote crafts in general, introduce readers to new project ideas, innovative manufacturer products, new trends and techniques and ultimately inspire creativity in others.