Water & Glue... Who Knew?

Cool and Unusual Uses for Two very Ordinary Things.
This Instructable will save you money AND change the way you look at ordinary things around your house.

Mixing just two everyday ingredients, glue and water, you can make unlimited projects.
Start with equal parts glue to water...
*You can add a little more water if you need a thiner consistency for some projects

Combine the glue and water in a container.
I used an old, clean peanut butter jar.
*Try and find a container that closes tightly and has a wide enough mouth to dip your sponge brush in .
Then shake, shake, shake, until the two ingredients are combined well.

I chose this table I got for free and painted.
It looked a little plain plus I plan on using it as a computer desk so wanted additional durability.
You can use "The Mix" on so many projects -
Tables, lampshades, dressers, boxes, cans, frames, etc....

I am using gold wrapping paper but you can use paper, fabric, wallpaper, napkins, tissue paper....

Cut or rip to size.
Don't be afraid to leave a little overhang on tables, I will show you the BEST trick to take care of that later.

Apply "The Mix" to the object THEN to the BACKSIDE of whatever you are attaching.
It doesn't need to be perfect, it only needs to be completely covered.

This part can be a little tricky but don't let it scare you.
Lay the paper on the table with the "wet" side against the surface you are attaching it to.
Try and smooth out any bubbles and keep the wrinkles to a minimum.
Then apply another thin layer of "The Mix"
*You can see mine is very wrinkled and there are some bubbles. I have another trick to take care of those pesky little things

Use a hair dryer on warm or hot setting to remove bubbles and wrinkles.
*Don't burn the paper or yourself.

You can also put your project out in the sun on a warm sunny day to eliminate most problems.
*If you have a few problem areas after working with the blow dryer simply apply a thin layer of "The Mix" to the problem areas and use the dryer again.

Notice how all the wrinkles and bubbles have disappeared after using the hairdryer?

For trick #2 you should wait until dry then instead of cutting the paper to the exact size, sand the edges to take off the extra.
This trick gives the most natural looking edge.
Any ragged spots just go over with sand paper again until they come off.
*I usually go around the piece once to remove the majority, then again to clean it up.

Lots of options here...
You can add additional coats of "The Mix"
You can top coat it with Polyurethane
I have even waxed with clear and dark wax

I decided the gold paper needed a little something so I brushed on a gel stain, waited a few minutes, then wiped off.

The finish looks so much better in person!

Using this "Mix" you save $$ as it's counterpart cost roughly $8 and I made this for $1 AND there is plenty leftover to recreate a few more things.

Mod Podge is Vinyl Acetate
The glue I use is PVA or Poly Vinyl Acetate

Mod Podge purests say there are additional sealers and such in Mod Podge therefore it is better
I am no scientist but I looked up the MSDS for both products and I can tell you I would need a scientist to figure out the difference :)

Check out my other Instructable if you would like to create treasures from discarded or unused pictures and frames -
https://www.instructables.com/id/Artsy-Fartsy-Furnishings-Refurbish-Pictures-and-Fr/