The term Decoupage is the decorative art of cutting and pasting paper onto a surface and varnishing over the surface. Decoupage (day-coo-parj) comes from the French word �couper�, which means to cut. In its early years decoupage may have been considered a child craft as it involves cutting pieces paper and layering them on top of each other to create an image that is 3d. But nowadays, Decoupage has become more sophisticated an extremely popular hobby, one of the fastest growing crafts worldwide. It requires relatively little capital outlay, can be done from home, and appeals to people of all ages. Simply because it is versatile, requires few materials, and can be done by beginners. Although you can buy supplies made specifically for decoupage, you can also use supplies that you probably have lying around the house. This makes decoupage one of the cheapest crafts around. Almost anything can be covered by decoupage: wood, metals and ceramics are the most common surfaces. Any paper item can also be used, though it may need preparation before cutting. Decoupage is often used to cover defects on damaged thrift-store finds. Furniture, boxes and other containers, vases, lamps, decorative screens, trays, tin ware and tableware can be given a new lease of life with decoupage. Decoupage is a craft that is easy enough for children to be involved in. With their small fingers, boys as well as girls can enjoy decoupage, and as many young boys are fascinated with small and fiddly items, they can be particularly adept at this sort of work. Decoupage can be helpful in developing hand-eye co-ordination as well as powers of concentration. Once they have been introduced to the techniques, most children can be left to do projects alone, so long as someone is available for advice if they run into problems. Decoupage is an old and venerable art form. It was extremely popular in the eighteenth century, and became popular again during the late Victorian era. Today, Decoupage is becoming more and more popular to crafters, if you are new to card making it is something that is simple but extremely effective for card projects giving them a really professional look.
