Decoupage is a great way to add decor and interest to all sorts of items in your home. If you’ve ever wondered how to decoupage napkins on plastic, check out these great tips and suggestions.
A few weeks ago my daughter’s friend gave me a gift. It was a bag full of plastic bottles that were for tea. She knows what a recycler and repurposer I am and she was sweet enough to collect a bunch of them and bring them over. A girl after my own repurposing heart!
I had them hidden away with a vague idea that I’d do some sort of spring project with them. Little did I know what a mess that would turn out to be.
Today I am advising you on how to NOT decoupage plastic bottles with napkins.
I had no idea what I would do with those bottles till one day I went to Ikea and spotted these cute napkins. Aha! I thought to myself, why not decoupage that lovely spring pattern onto the bottles?
I removed the plastic covers and washed out the bottles. They looked cute like this too but I wanted to use the napkins.
I figured this project would take me half an hour tops. After all I had decoupaged so many other items in the past such as a dresser, a suitcase, and a side table. In fact I had even decoupaged a trunk with book pages. Now if that wasn’t a tough project I don’t know what is.
Materials Needed to Decoupage Napkins on Plastic
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- Mod Podge
- Chalk paint
- Decorative napkins
- Plastic bottles
- Sponge Brush
- Paint brush
- Twine, ribbon or yarn.
How to Decoupage Napkins onto Plastic
First I added the napkin to the bottle but realized after I applied it that it was a three ply napkin. Did it say that on the label? Silly me, I should have known better! This did not look good!
I tried again, this time with only the patterned napkin, but it looked awful. The brown color of the bottle showed through and made the pattern look muddy. Not to mention it was very wrinkled.
Finally I did what I should have done from the beginning. I went to You Tube and looked at how-to videos but I was so overwhelmed I almost gave up. I knew I had to finish those bottles and make my daughter’s friend proud since she had gone to the trouble of saving them for me. And I wanted to be good to the environment!
So following the tips on the videos, I painted the bottles using chalk paint. Two coats was more than enough to give me this look. I let them sit overnight to cure.
Half an hour project, huh?
The next day I cut a strip of napkin and started from the top, adding a little bit of mod podge and carefully applying the one ply napkin. I even had to make cuts where the neck of the bottle swelled out.
But more often than not this was the result!
Did I say this was going to be a half an hour job?
I even attempted to do individual flowers cutting them out and applying them one at a time.
But the final result was less then desirable. Instead I ended up applying individual flowers to the whole surface of the bottle. I would have been better off with the first method, just cutting large pieces and adding them on.
Finally after much anguish I finished with all the bottles.
I added various cords, ribbons and yarn on top as embellishments and called it a day! Although it was more like two days – with the painting and all that gluing.
I have to admit the white turned out so much better than the blue. It looks bright and crisp!
Whereas the blue has spots of white napkin, maybe where I had to overlap the paper.
And it also has these epic fails! Now you may be wondering why I’m showing you all these mistakes.
Because I have a confession to make.
If you scroll up a bit you can see that I was bragging about my decoupaging abilities. But it turns out that they are practically non-existent.
I was humbled by a few lowly plastic bottles. It’s not about the size of the item you are working on, but the finesse that is involved!
And so I am eating my words! I still have much to learn about decoupaging. After I finished this project I even found a site that had lots of helpful hints! And here is a seven step guide. Now why hadn’t I seen these before?
It serves me right for being so arrogant! I should have known better after my battle with the Fabulous Ikea Desk Makeover!
Consequently, I bow my head in shame and I’ve added a few muffins in the photo to take your attention away from all the decoupage mistakes! How am I doing?
You can see here that I am far from perfect. I made more than my share of mistakes with this project. The biggest one being that too much bragging will get me nowhere.
Thank goodness my older daughter had made those muffins to save the day, er, the photo shoot!
And so I present to you a set of decoupaged bottles for spring! But really this is about how not to decoupage plastic bottles with napkins. And having some food around really saves the day!
Have you ever had any epic fails with mod podge or am I the only one?
More Decoupage projects:
This blog is for entertainment purposes only; my DIY tutorials are not professional advice. Read my full disclaimer here.
Never mind the trial-and-error, dear Mary, nor the not-how-to: The bottles are absolutely lovely! Even if blue weren’t my favourite colour (with green and lilac) I’d put the bottles on the mantel right away (and help you eat the muffins)!
Have a great day,
Marjan
Thank you Marjan for the encouragement. I don’t know if I’m being hard on myself or not. This really was much harder than I expected it would be.
Let’s enjoy the muffins together!
What a hoot! We’ve all had those projects but you managed to save the day. I agree that the white paint is the way to go with the napkins and the finished product really does look great and spring-y.
We always have something to learn, right?
Thanks for the ‘how-not-to’ my friend.
Hugs, Lynn
Lynn, I cannot believe I got taken in by some pretty soft napkins. Haha!
No worries, Mary, your bottles look wonderful! Everyone loves decoupage and will offer their method of mastering the technique. I think it’s the one area that will get crafters frustrated one time or another. I always have trouble with it and love using cling wrap to help with smoothing out wrinkles. I found a wonderful lady, Patioelf, and I call her the Queen of Decoupage. She’s done every type of decoupage there is and has easy to follow tutorials on each one! !https://www.youtube.com/user/patioelf/about
Gail I saw her videos on You Tube. What a talented and patient lady.
Live and learn! At least you’re brave enough to share your mistakes 🙂 They turned out nice, especially the white ones, so the effort was worth it.
Jas I love a good laugh but this time the laugh was on me. Two days for a half hour project!
This is a spectacular post with all the honesty and humor that makes you the triumphant winner! I admire your determination to see the project through the ups and downs to an enlightened conclusion. Life is certainly full of “how-not-to’s!! Thank-you for this delightfully entertaining post. P.S. The muffins are the perfect addition!
Thank you so much Ellen for your words of encouragment. It turned into quite a daunting project. And here I thought I’d be done in half an hour. I almost didn’t finish in time to post about it.
I think that the bottles turned out lovely Mary! The chalk paint made a big difference. A while back I decided to mod podge some napkins on something and me not one to read first I jumped right in not realizing they were 2 ply. Through me for a loop, ended up cutting in pieces and gluing in.
Linda I had no idea I was supposed to use chalk paint first. I guess it acts as a primer. Oh the horrors of those napkins.
Mary, I have not decoupaged, although I didn’t think that it was this hard, now I know before I begin a project. The colors are lovely, as well as the pattern. What would you do differently, I looked at the tutorial and it seems as if thin items are hard to get smooth.
The end result, with the ribbons and string, look so pretty, I bet that adding flowers and greenery will make for a lovely accent. Wrinkle and all!
Nikki it normally is not hard at all. It was the napkin that threw me for a loop. The napkins are very hard to smooth out. And also the chalk paint made a lot of difference in that it acted as a primer for the bottle.
Lol! They actually look lovely, but I know what you mean Mary. I had an EPIC fail when I painted an upholstered chair a couple of years ago. Talk about a time suck! Unlike your pretty project, the chair ended up in the dumpster :/.
XXX
Doreen with a chair you expect that there will be difficulties especially if you are painting the upholstery. But this was a tiny project. I have no excuse for taking two days. 😉
Mary, Been there, many times! The napkins are so pretty and the end result after much trial and error is not so bad. To me, part of the fun is trying new things, so the next time you try your hand at decoupage, who knows what marvelous things you will create! Have a great week!
~Laurie
Laurie you are so right about that. Each time we attempt something we get better at it.
I admire your determination Mary. I’m convinced there are certain things that just cannot be modged and I would have given up after the first bit of brown showed through and never even thought about using paint to block it out. All things considered you did an amazing job by trying and trying again until you got it right. That’s so admirable and I’m really glad you got some muffins as a reward for sticking it out. You’ve earned them over and over again.
I have a good daughter who takes care of me when she sees me in dispair. Haha! Two days is unacceptable for this project Michelle. 😉
Hi Mary,
First, thanks for coming to Marmelade Gypsy and revisiting the Hanna-Barbera cartoons with me! Your visit led me to you and I am simply delighted!
Epic mod podge fails? You bet! More than a few. But I really loved seeing your step by steps and hearing your pitfalls (and the links) to avoid future failures! I’ve used a lot of napkins before in my mixed media art and they are tricky to separate and one goof up and you have a mess. The chalk paint was a great idea but anything with contours is not my friend!
But the end result is really pretty and very springy. I love the blue (and now I have to get to our IKEA to see if they have that pattern!). All worth it in the end, I think! (Oh, and I’m now following you! Delightful blog!)
Thank you so much Jeanie! I totally understand about all those horrid contours. Thank goodness for You Tube and experts. It seems that for me chalk paint can do no wrong! I hope you find the napkins. I bought them here in Greece. And I think you for following me.
Mary, I am so impressed that you stuck with it and finished. I love the way they turned out! I tried it with eggs and gave up halfway through and just painted. You are a dedicated girl! Happy spring!
I’ve actually decoupaged christmas globes but the paper was thicker than the napkin I used here, so it was much easier.
Well they look good now, so I think you saved the day. I’ve only decoupaged with napkins once, but they weren’t a rounded surface. I imagine rounded is much harder. I think the only way you can do it is to piece it. In fact, I saw a project on Pinterest last night where someone did a paper mache bunny rabbit & that’s how they did it. I’m dying to get started on my next decoupage project. So what are you going to use the bottles for?
Florence I was so full of myself I thought I could just put a whole napkin on there and be done with it. haha! Silly me! The Bottles have thier place of honor in the living room to give us a bit of cheer!
It was a great success!………In the end, so what if at first you did not succeed? You persevered and they came out quite lovely I think. They are pretty ! Thanks for sharing the ride!
Jeannee
Jeanne I think you know that the process is so much more fun than the end sometimes. It may have taken me forever but I got a good lesson on the way. And a fun post!
Mary the bottles look lovely and I also love those napkins! Whenever I try to decoupage it turns into such a mess that I have almost given up! I might give it another go some time!
Or we can do it with scrap paper that is heavier than napkins. I like using gift wrapping paper, it’s so much easier Katrin. Don’t give up.
I enjoyed this post so much Mary! Not because you were humbled of course. I don’t even see a reason to be “humbled”. (I strongly believe that – unless it involves parachuting – “if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying”.)
But because I like the reality behind projects and it’s so relatable to mess up and try saving a project!
And I am not sure we need cookies (though I won’t say no to them) because the bottles turned out really pretty. Love the colors!
Thank you Dione! I am now at a point where I am enjoying the journey as much as the end result. And of course the cookies really help.
Oh I so enjoyed this post, Mary. You cracked me up with the muffins. I’m laughing “with you” because we’ve all been there – although I don’t see a fail in these bottles. The napkins are so pretty and really dressed up the bottles and I love how you wrapped assorted ribbon and twine around the tops. I could see these on a white tray with a stem of Spring blossoms in each sitting on a window sill or dining table.
Thanks Marie for the vote of confidence. From now on I’m going to stick to decoupaging thicker paper. Those napkins are nasty!
You are my hero Mary, I promise I would have smashed them with my feet on the floor or throwing them to the burning pile. It reminds me the first time I tried to use napkins to decoupage, everything went wrong lol. But yours turned out really beautiful, seriously. And yes, white is the base always, that was the first lesson I learned. I can imagine your future projects, now the sky is the limit!
Pili I too would have thrown them on the floor but unfortunately they wouldn’t give me the satisfaction of smashing! Haha.
The bottles turned out so pretty in the end. Decoupage is tricky but you have helped us and now we know how to decoupage bottles to make pretty vases.
That would make me very happy Debra, to know that I have helped through my mistakes. Now you can all just go to You Tube and avoid those mistakes.
Mary, while I think they turned out great, I love the whole premise of the post! It made me smile!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mary we have to laugh at ourselves once in a while. After all this is not rocket science!
Hi Mary,
Please don’t beat yourself up too much over this decoupage ‘disaster’. For me, it’s always the effort that counts. Your desire to please your daughter’s friend, is much more admirable than the project itself, whatever the result.
Poppy
Poppy, in hindsite, I think I enjoyed the process so much more than the end result. And I managed to learn a thing or two.
Well you had me laughing out loud, Mary!!
Not at the bottles themselves, because I think they turned out wonderfully (you know, we are are own worst critic, right?). But your dialogue was hilarious.
That’s exactly how I talk to myself!!
jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Haha Jodie! I did more than talk to myself with this one. I still cannot believe it took me two days!
Sorry to hear these plastic bottles gave you so much trouble. My daughter went nuts for the Arizona tea and last summer we collected every single one, but I got rid of those bottles immediately – straight into recycling….
Your post sounds and is very realistic – something that I am sure each and every one of us has experienced crafting fails at least once in our crafty adventures, so I appreciate you sharing this!
Maya just imagine the fun you could have had if you had kept all those bottles. I have to say it was fun painting them. It was the other part that sent me into a tizzy.
Mary, I think the bottles look wonderful! I’m sorry that you had so much trouble with this project but look what happened when you persevered. You did a great job! I like the print on the napkins! Don’t sweat this project, it was a learning process and you’re still the decoupage queen. 😉
It’s all in good fun Keri. I have learned to not take myself seriously and to laugh at myself when doing these projects. The moment I stop laughing is when I will stop creating.
I must admit, your title was intriguing to me (how NOT to do something). I am delighted to know that I’m not the only person to have epic fails in my projects. Been there! But — you persevered and did not let those plastic bottles defeat you! Yaayy! The final product is so appealing. The finished bottles are quite attractive, and I love the finishing touches you put on them with ribbon and twine. Great job!
Thank you Carol. When someone gives you a gift you cannot afford to disappoint. Otherwise I might have given up after the first hour.
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!!
Love this idea!! So simple yet so pretty and unique!!
Hugs,
Deb
Thank you so much Debbie!
I hate it when I think I’m about to do any easy project and it turns into a huge ordeal. But those turned out really cute!
But never again Stephanie! It is not a Monet that it should take 2 days! 😉
You are too hard on yourself, Mary! Your bottles are pretty! Just perfect for Spring. I have a love/hate relationship with Mod Podge so I will definitely be checking out those tips. Take care, Cynthia
I would have been much happier if I had checked them out sooner too Cynthia!
I love that you wrote this explaining what happened! I was thinking that I am the only blogger around that posts fails haha! Although I won’t call your project a fail only a time consuming one!
This was such a fun post to do Katerina. Not only was I humbled but I actually learned a lot. And you got to see my human side! 😉
What beautiful muffins….bottles, what bottles!!!
You saved it in the end, they look great, especially the ones that you painted white, so well done. I do love a good 1/2 hour project don’t you?!
The muffins were beautiful but even more yummy! As for half hour project, I’ll be in the corner muttering under my breath!
Although I remembered I’d seen your epic fail before it has made me laugh so much to read this again so thank you for sharing this at Handmade Monday.
(you know they were not actually an epic fail though right?)
Your step by step walking us through your thought process as well as the crafting process is hilarious !!
Everything we do teaches us a lesson. And what’s the point of doing things that are always perfect? We’d stop learning eventually!
You are so right Zografia. I had never thought of it that way before.
Mary, this looks amazing. Pinned. 🙂
Cristina, do not be fooled by it’s looks. It is evil! 😉
I think they came out so cute.
Thank you Linda. Getting positive comments from all of you is making me feel better.
Oh Mary it sounds like you had so much “fun” with these! They turned out beautifully though and I love the look of the pretty napkins you picked out. Thanks so much for linking them up to the Inspiration Galore Project Party last week. You are one of my features tomorrow over at Recreated Designs. Pinned and shared. Have a wonderful weekend!
Thank you so much Lisa. Enjoy your weekend.
Decopage is mess business. The napkins you used are adorable. I think the bottles turned out cute and the color is perfect for spring. I’m sorry they were a pain in the neck. Thanks for sharing at Monday Social.
Mary, I did not read where you did lot of bragging, instead, you shown much humanity by admitting your mistakes. I love the way your project turned out. Your daughter friend must be so proud! I would have never thought to do anything like this. Your result is fabulous . Thank you for not giving up, and presenting this breathtaking results to your readers, and step by step of how we too, can also get the same results.
Thank you so much Ivory. Your comment is so sweet. I always try to look at my projects with a sense of humor. Nothing is worth getting so frustrated over that we have to ruin our health. Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my post.
Oh, but it does make a good story!! 🙂 And don’t we call these our “learning experiences”??? 🙂 Yep. Relating here. Too many times when my mental image and idea totally didn’t equate when I gave it a try!
At least we learn, and learn to be more flexible in the future.
What mistakes? I don’t see any! I just see a creative person who gave it her best shot.
I’ll be honest with you – I don’t craft that much for fear that it will turn out terrible. I’m impressed with what you did!
Stacey no need to worry about a craft turning out terrible. You saw from my bottle fiasco that even if it was not perfect it was still a great learning experience.
The white bottles turned out great. Good for you hanging in there and finishing. Found you on Blogger’s Pit Stop Link Party
Thank you Candy, I was not about to let a few bottles do me in!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful “failures.” Now we all know NOT what to do! You have saved us all hours of frustration, wasted materials and time! Thanx!
Thank you Kathy. Sometimes it is just as valuable to know what not to do than what to do.
I love that you shared the fails, the end result does look great. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
What a creative idea to use the plastic bottles. I love to decoupage with napkins! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Well, for all your despair, I have to say that they turned out quite lovely! I have covered eggs with napkins before but not bottles.
🙂 gwingal
Thanks for sharing this. Gives me some things to think about before starting my first paper napkin decoupage project.
Erlene, I hope you see my mistakes and don’t make the same. The bottom line is you can really not go wrong with it, I think it is just a preference. Good luck!
Well after looking and looking I finally found you.Your the first I have a better understanding of what to do.So,THANK-YOU.😁
Thank you Melanie for taking the time to reach out to me to let me know. I had a hard time with it myself but I’m very glad that my tutorial makes sense! Happy Holidays to you!!
Mary, I am so glad you are still learning! We have all tried something and messed it up. That is how we learn. I haven’t started trying to springify my home yet, but I am getting spring fever. As I write this we are getting eight more inches of snow, as if we needed any more!
We are always learning Michele. I am just painting a rubber bucket right now and the paint is peeling off. So it never ends. We too got a few inches of snow and are also expecting it to turn into freezing rain. The worst kind of weather.
Napkins are really pretty for things like that but a big pain. I may be doing the same with wooden eggs this month, depending on time with Rick’s surgery and I know what I’m in for! You learn the little cheats by messing up (and I learned some from you!)
I have those napkins! I love them — and the bottles ARE pretty, even if they weren’t a quick little project!
Thanks Jeanie. I’ve learned that what seems simple is usually not. Good luck with your Easter eggs.
Thanks for sharing your tips! It will save us from making the same mistakes. I have been wanting to do more decoupage with napkins. I have only used this kind of technique for greeting cards. Yours turned out great! Thanks so much for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things!
Thanks Pam. I think I need to work on this a bit more.
I’m really glad you shared this on Homestyle Gathering, Mary. Even though it’s an older post, it was helpful to see your transparency, as well as wonderful to see the links you listed for helps! Thanks for sharing… I think the bottles look great!
Thank you Julie, I think we always learn something when we make mistakes. Now if only we can keep from repeating them.
I’m Queen of “This project will only take fifteen minutes,” and four days later….I’m finally wrapping things up. I totally get it!
I like your bottles! Especially when grouped together. The blue and white undertones complement each other. Despite the rocky beginning I’d say this project ended in success!
I’m actually working on another one that was supposed to take 15 minutes. We’ll see when I finally finish with it.
I feel your frustration. I am surprised at how the blue and white paint make the bottles look different.
It was a revelation to me too Janet.
There does exist a few projects which end up taking too much of our time with lesser than expected outcome. However we do learn something from them. Seems like this is one of them. I did like the outcome though – Thanks for joining us on Bloggers Pit Stop – Pit Stop Crew
Thank you so much Menaka and thank you for the feature.
Mary, our Menaka has chosen your interesting post to be featured on the next Blogger’s Pit Stop. Well done.
Thanks so much Kathleen, it is always an honor to be featured at your party.
Oh, Mary, you crack me up! I have, admittedly, had my fair share of “quick” projects that ended up being way more complicated than anticipated. In fact, I recently did a fairly quick craft project (truly) that ended up in the trash once they were finished. You win some, you learn some. 😉
At least we can say we learned from our mistakes. Or in my case I try but even then I need more mistakes to learn Haha!!
This is hilarious! If I hadn’t already featured you just last week at Best of the Weekend, I would feature you tomorrow. The internet NEEDS more posts like this, where people are honest about the struggles. You could have just posted this like normal and acted like you had no problems.
I find it sooo funny because I thought decoupaging a plastic ornament would be easy and it was a terrible fail. How people get those beautiful eggs around Easter time is beyond me. But I have some really pretty napkins and I guess I’ll keep trying, a little at a time….
It’s all because of the curviness— surely a flat surface is easier, right? Maybe I should try a square egg? hahaha….oh wait, that gives me some ideas….
Liberty a flat or square egg certainly would do the trick! And what about those flimsy napkins? They certainly don’t help the situation. Thanks for all your support. And I will always keep it real on this blog because perfection is overrated!
Bless you for being so honest, Mary, but they really did turn out beautifully in the end. I think we all take on projects that take longer than we anticipate sometimes. Thank you so much for sharing this creative and inspiring post with the Hearth and Soul Link Party.
Thank yo April for that vote of confidence. Now if only I could finish them in less time then it took originally!
I love that you posted how NOT to do something. The mistakes we make as DIYers get glossed over so often <3
I always hope that by me showing all the mistakes I make it will help someone else to avoid them. Thanks Leslie for stopping by!
Hi Mary, your honesty did make me laugh and whilst the end result may not be as perfect as you would have liked they are still attractive looking bottles. As for those muffins? The perfect distraction!
xx