Decoupage a Wine Bottle

I love Manischewitz wine and I hate throwing away the empty bottles, so I'm left with a lot of giant wine bottles hanging around the house. I usually reuse them in little ways but I wanted to try something different. I love decoupage and though its very easy to do, I'm never in love with my creations enough to use them as part of my decor, that was till my lovely wine bottles.
For those who have no idea what decoupage is, its basically gluing paper onto an object, then sealing it with several layers of varnish. However I chose not to seal my wine bottle, partly because I didn't have enough on hand and also cause I loved how it looked as is.

My steps lack photos as usual so bare with me a little.

Step 1: Gather Materials

For this project used a bunch of old magazines I had laying around. You can use anything you like for yours, magazine clippings, photos printed on paper, rice or tissue paper, decoupage paper( like the super cute Marilyn Monroe set in my photos) even fabric (very thin pieces of course). Don't use images printed on an inkjet printer as it may bleed, make copies from a color copier instead. I like the effect ripped pages give so I that's how I prepared most of my paper. My daughter and I had loads of fun ripping the pages. You can always use scissors to cut out yours. If your object is very large you can use large sheets of paper, fabric or whatever to cover it, this would more or less be your base (that's what I did).

Step 2: Prepare Object

Firstly I washed my wine bottle, cleaned of the label and residue. Depending on your material, you may need to sand, fill, repair or maybe paint it. Whatever your process make sure its clean and dry before your proceed.

Step 3: The Fun Part

Plan the placement of your paper if you like, lay it out and see what you like the best. If your like me though, just wing it(its a lot more fun). Now ready, set and glue. Basic white glue will work, add water to thin it though (half glue, half water for best results). You can also get special decoupage glue (if your a big spender). Apply the glue all over your object ( with a paint brush), then to the cut out and place it on, smooth out any air bubbles and what not. I like to apply another layer of glue over my cut out after placing it (keep in mind all layers should be applied thinly) Apply each cut out this way your till your object is covered , the best effect comes from layering your cut outs, just remember to let each layer dry before the next.

Step 4: Finishing

Now here's where my little project went of road, when I finished gluing, I realised I was more or less out of varnish. Then after my glue had dried I decided I didn't need it after all, however I used a wood polish for a little shine. If you choose to varnish/lacquer your project remember to let it dry completely before applying your next coat, how many coats, is up to you, generally about 3 or 4 does the trick.
And there you have it.
Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave your comments :)