Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Truth About Mod Podge

In an effort to save crafters everywhere, I have to post on Mod Podge.  With all the make-your-own-decoupage pins roaming around Pinterest, and several of my own friends pinning the same, I need to say a few things on the subject.  To fully understand what this homemade recipe called for, I clicked on a few of the different pins, and googled the subject "homemade mod podge" for myself.  All of the recipes call for craft glue and water to dilute it, easy smeasy piece of cake, and it is the same product.

WRONG.

Y'all, that's about the worst thing you could ever do.   Craft glue is already an inferior medium to all decoupage products, and you are going to further lessen its significance with, gulp, water?  Doesn't that seem odd to anyone else?  It should.  I've been crafting for years and years.  I'm definitely not a decoupage expert by any means, but I do know a crock when I hear one! For all you non-crafters, let me use an analogy for you.  Chick-fil-A tea and canned Nestle tea.  Do you really think if you took a can of Nestle sweet tea, watered it down, it's a good substitute to the heavenly sweetness of Chick-fil-A's freshly brewed product?  Uh, no.

Let's consider the dynamics of your basic craft glue and the medium of decoupage (or Mod Podge).  Both dry clear.  Both are used for bonding.  BUT: Mod Podge is a specialty application (which is why it cost more than regular glues).  It's not meant for merely binding together products, it also acts as a sealant and protector.  Most crafting glues are acid based, which means that overtime it will eat through your project you are spending all this time on (do you really want to ruin all those wedding and baby pictures?).  Imagine over time, your beautiful artwork/memories peeling and yellowing... that is not a pretty sight.  And because Mod Podge acts as a sealer, it is also available in multiple different sheens and finishes.  Matte, satin, gloss, high-gloss, shimmer, glitter... you name it, it is out there with this superior product. 

I plan to do some mod-podgin' of my own here soon.  I took three pictures of buildings that mean the most to hubs and me- the Lace House where we were married, our church, and our first home.  I used Adobe Photoshop CS to create pencil sketches of the three structures in black and white.  I plan to decoupage these onto small 5x7 canvases for our living room.  And there aint no way I'm using a watered down glue paste. 





So, I hope I've saved you from the nightmare of ruining your pieces.  Now, pinners of the world, go spread the word.  There is no substitute for decoupage mediums!