There's probably a good reason that Mod Podge rhymes with hodge-podge

Thanks to my good friend Zara's suggestion, I'm trying to decoupage a random cheap MDF bookcase before I try to make the actual coffee table I want in my house. Here are some tips to remind myself (and maybe you) how not to do it next time.

  1. Sounds stupid, but the mod podge gloss really does dry clear. So go nuts, you can splodge as thick a sticky white coat on as you like, it'll be fine. I read the matte one goes cloudy though, so I'm saving that for my final coat.

  2. DO PLAN and practice the placing before you stick. It dries really quickly so you want to be ready to go as soon as you've painted.

planning a long side

  1. DO FOAM roller on top after you've glued! I didn't have one to push out the air bubbles and I'm pretty sad about it. I'm going to get one tomorrow before I do the rest of this bookcase.

air bubbles, boo

  1. DO SAND the loose edges! I would never have thought of this. But omg so neat. And easy.

  2. DO GLUE everything you think you want stuck down. I was a bit adhoc about it and now I've got some gaps I'm not sure what to do with.

glue everything

  1. Links: I read these two a couple of times but didn't watch the videos. From this I deduce that Mod Podge is a heaven sent for crafters, and that decoupage is not that hard if you don't mind the air bubbles. I'm choosing to believe that they add character..