How to Decoupage a Binder
Binders are functional and sturdy, and are used to store and organize school, work and home papers. They are available in a variety of sizes and colors, and are generally made from plain, unadorned materials. Create your own decorative binder by using a decoupage technique to cover the surface. Use decorative papers and add photos, pictures or text to embellish your binder. Let your imagination turn a plain binder into an art canvas, using basic cutting and gluing skills to create a one-of-a-kind binder.
Things You'll Need
- Damp cloth
- Papers
- Photos or images (optional)
- Scissors
- Old credit card (optional)
- Decoupage medium
- Foam craft brush
Instructions
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Wipe the surface of the binder with a damp cloth to remove all dust and dirt. Allow drying.
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Choose the papers you will use to cover the binder. Have enough paper available to wrap around each of the edges of the binder, if desired. If you are covering the inside of the front and back of the binder, you will also need additional paper. Consider using wrapping papers, thin scrapbooking papers, newsprint or magazine pages for your project.
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Select the photos or images you want to add to the binder. Consider positioning a photocopy of a photograph on the front as well as a decorative label along the spine of the binder.
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Tear or cut the background papers for the project. Use one paper cut in a large piece to cover most of the binder or several small pieces of paper to stagger and overlap.
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Arrange the papers on your work surface in the design you want. Create a mock-up of the front cover, the spine and the back cover before you begin so you know where you want to place papers. Allow papers to wrap to the inside along the binder edges. Position any images on top of the papers.
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Start applying the papers in one corner of the binder. Apply a small amount of decoupage medium with a foam brush to the back of the first layer of paper and position it on the binder. Overlap the edges to completely cover them or let some of the binder cover show around the edges, if preferred. Press the paper from the center outward using the side of an old credit card to smooth, if desired.
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Continue applying decoupage medium to each piece of paper and position each one on the binder, following your design, until the binder is covered. Incorporate photos or images into the design as well.
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Cover the spine of the binder with additional papers in the same way. Before the decoupage medium dries, open and close the binder several times and push the papers into the creases, if needed.
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Cover the back of the binder, as well as any overlapping edges, with papers.
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Let the papers dry completely. Check that all of the edges are covered and that the binder opens and closes easily.
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Apply a coat of decoupage medium over the top of the papers to seal the project. Allow drying and add at least two additional coats of medium to protect your binder.
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Tips & Warnings
Use photocopies only of images printed with an inkjet printer, otherwise the ink will run and smear when the medium is applied.
If your binder has inside pockets on the front and back covers, you may want to cover them with the decoupage papers as well. Use the same or coordinating papers, as desired.
Trim the inside edges of the binder where the paper overlapped with decorative trim, such as a strip of coordinating paper. Use decoupage medium to apply and seal the trim.
References
- Photo Credit Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Getty Images
