Technique--ModPodge by Chrystal Riddell

Recently, on the TTT message board, someone asked what in the world you do with Mod Podge. Some of you might be asking, "What the heck IS Mod Podge?" Hopefully this will help make it seem a little less scary!

According to the jar, Mod Podge is a "water-based sealer, glue, and finish for all surfaces." I have used this many times, and never actually read the jar! I'm a trial-by-error kind of girl, so I just tried some different things to see what worked for me and discovered a wonderful adhesive that's great for certain projects. I prefer Gloss, although you can also get it in Glitter and Matte formulas



Glitter--My main use for MP is as an adhesive for glitter. Nothing works better, or faster, than this to evenly cover large surfaces. I use it for chipboard accents. It couldn't be easier than this...grab a foam brush, cover your chipboard completely with a thin coat, and sprinkle on the glitter. The jar says the MP takes 15-20 minutes to dry, but I find a thin coat is usually dry in less than 5 minutes, so work fast. Here, I've done some variation using naked chipboard. This was hard to photograph the detail, so you'll just have to try it yourself. Together, all of these only took about 10 minutes total to complete! While preparing for this, I used a package of naked chipboard that is at least 2 years old! Now that it has some pizzazz, I am much more likely to use it. So if you have only a few minutes, but want to play, try this yourself. Next time you need that glittery something, you'll have some of these already on hand.

The top left flower is the original naked chipboard. Top left square button--MP only, then add glitter. Bottom left--Acrylic paint, then MP, then glitter.

Sealant--Another great use for MP is as a sealant over wood, painted wood, painted chipboard, and paper. I have used this on chipboard mini-albums, board books, altered wood mirrors, clipboards, and chipboard embellishments. IMPORTANT: Because it is water-based, you must use it from the bottom up or it will wrinkle your paper and ruin all your hard work! I learned this the hard way. So, don't use a tape runner to adhere your cardstock or paper, then try to seal it. In the picture above, the green chipboard flower was painted with acrylic pint, then sealed with MP. For the star, after I traced and cut out the patterned cardstock, I applied the MP to it, applied it to the star, then sealed the top. This works best with cardstock weight. If you use thin paper, it is more likely to wrinkle or tear through. If you are applying this to a large surface, you can gently use a credit card to smooth it out so it won't wrinkle.

This can be a little tricky, and I wouldn't start right off with your most prized paper or embellishment, but with a little practice, you can become a pro at this!