 |
| |
Turned on by cats? Here is a
switchplate craft that will brighten any room.
 This
decoupage
project has two variations. The first
covers the entire switchplate with a vintage image and requires some
skill on the edges and corners. The easier
variation is a flat decoupage with
a classy gold
trim (shown on the far right).
Materials
- Plastic switchplate
- Vintage
image, printed on lightweight matte
photo paper (see Tips)
- Decoupage medium (like
Mod Podge - Matte
 )
- Paint brush
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Fine sand paper
- Brayer
- Wax paper
- (Variation) Gold leaf wax (like
Rub-N-Buff)
- Polyurethane (optional)
Instructions
 Lightly
sand the entire switchplate, to help the paper adhere.
- Trim the image to cover the plate, with 1/4"
excess to fold around the back.
- Apply decoupage medium to the face of
the plate and position it on the back of the image.
Turn it face up and use a brayer to press the image
firmly and
eliminate bubbles. Don't decoupage the edges until it dries
for 30 minutes.
- Pull the paper to the back at the four corners,
and cut them off diagonally to miter the corners.
- Apply decoupage medium to the paper edges and
the
inside edge of the back of the plate. Pull each side
of the paper to the back of the plate and apply more decoupage
medium. Press firmly until it is adhered, but avoid
overhandling the image. Lightly press the corners to smooth
out bulges.
- From the back, cut an X in the switch opening,
using the craft knife. Fold each flap inside carefully, and
apply decoupage medium. Let everything dry for an hour.
 Lay
the plate face up on a piece of
wax paper. Apply two coats of decoupage medium to seal and
protect
it.
Variation with Gold Edges
- Lightly sand the entire plate, to help the
decoupage adhere.
- Trim the image to fit flat on the face of
the plate, leaving the curved edges bare.
- Apply decoupage medium to the face of
the plate and position the image on it. Use a brayer
to press out any bubbles. Let it dry for an hour.
 From the back, cut an X in the switch opening,
using the craft knife.
Fold each flap inside carefully, and apply decoupage medium.
Let
everything dry for an hour.
- Sand the edges of the plate, including
the outside edge of the image. You will be sanding off any
decoupage medium and smoothing the edges of the image.
- Apply gold leaf wax with your finger on the
bare plate edges, and slightly onto the image. Let
it dry for a minute and rub it with a soft cloth (as per the product
instructions).
- Apply two coats of decoupage medium to seal and
protect it
Tips
- To position the image on the plate,
hold the plate on the back of the image and hold it up to the
light. When you can see the switch opening and screw holes
are in the best places, lay it down carefully and mark the switch
opening on the back of the image with a pencil. Keep those
lined up when you decoupage it.
- Decoupaging inkjet-printed images can be
tricky, because the ink sometimes rubs off when wet with
decoupage medium, especially when printed on glossy paper.
That is why we recommend 30 minutes of drying time after you
affix the image to the face of the plate. That keeps
it from sliding around while you decoupage the edges. You can
avoid damaging the image by handling it lightly in a piece of waxed
paper.
- When
you install it on your light switch, just punch through the screw
holes.
When it is screwed in, touch up the screw heads with a little
craft paint, to blend in with the image.
- If your switchplate is going to get a lot of
use, apply two coats of polyurethane.
Return
from Switchplate Craft
to the Main Craft Page
|
|
