In the Pink

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In the Pink

Create the look of a hand-painted serving piece by decoupaging a floral-design napkin on a papier-mache tray. It's quick, it's pretty, and it's quite the thing for spring.

Springtime Tray

What You Need:

Serve up Easter brunch on this
seasonal tray.

15-inch-diameter round papier-mache tray
Brushes: 1-inch flat, #1 script liner, and #12 flat
Aleene's Premium-Coat Acrylic Paint: Buttercream (BC) #0C216, Deep Sage (DS) #0C134, Maize (MZ) #0C215, Primrose (PR) #213, and Soft Sand (SS) #0C130
Aleene's Enhancers: Satin Varnish #EN102, Clear Gel Medium #EN107, Mosaic Crackle Medium #EN111, and Mosaic Crackle Activator #DN112
Round paper napkin with floral print
Soft paper towels

Pick a Napkin

Choose a pattern to match
your table setting.

Explore the wide variety of paper napkins available at gift stores, party stores, and paper goods shops. They come in an incredible array of patterns and shapes, including round and scalloped ones. Some napkins are made of one layer of delicate rice paper, while others are thicker and consist of two layers. Separate the layers, if necessary, and use only the printed portion for decoupage projects. The underlying paint color will usually show through the sheer napkin, so plan your colors accordingly.

Instructions

Note: Paint colors are based on the napkin we chose; you may need to use colors different from those given in the materials list to go with your particular napkin.

1. Base-coat the rim and back of the plate PR. Base-coat the center MZ.

2. Paint MZ "inch marks" around the inner rim with the 1" script liner brush. Use the liner brush to pain a DS line around the inner rim. Thin BC with water 1:1, and paint stripes around the outer rim using the #12 flat brush. Paint a line in the center of each stripe using the liner brush and unthinned BC.

3. Brush an uneven coat of crackle medium onto the center of the tray. Carefully center the napkin on the tray. Brush out any air bubbles. Carefully brush a coat of crackle medium over the entire tray. Let the crackle medium dry.

4. Brush on a coat of crackle activator, working from the center out. Let the activator dry for 24 hours.

5. Mix equal parts of Clear Gel Medium and SS. Working in sections, brush the mixture onto the tray. Wipe off the excess with a damp paper towel, leaving the color in the cracks. Let the mixture dry. Apply one coat of satin-finish varnish.