Give Old Decor New Life With Mod Podge and Paper Napkins
February 03, 2026
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How to give old decor new life with Mod Podge and decorative napkins!
Did you know you can use pretty paper napkins to give decor whole new look?
I'm going old school on my latest craft project! I haven't used this technique in at least a decade, but when I saw these pretty paper napkins in HomeGoods a few months ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them:
The napkin design is called Strawberry Thief by William Morris, and I loved the muted blues and rust colors.
I knew it would be beautiful decoupaged onto a vase that I've had for years:
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The shape and size were great, it just needed a little something! I figured this busy pattern would be beautiful on this vase.
To decoupage with a paper napkin, I always separate the layers and remove the thin backing first:
For this process you'll want to use Mod Podge -- I had one with a matte finish on hand, but a glossy Mod Podge sealant would have saved me one step.
The final finish just your personal preference!:
This process is very simple, you'll just need to use a light hand as you work.
I made sure to clean the surface of the vase well, and when it was dry I started by spreading the Mod Podge on with a paint brush:
Because this vase is curved, I decided to cut my napkins into sections (using the fold lines as my guide).
I lined each piece up with the bottom of the vase first, then pushed it into the glue on the surface. This is where you need to be gentle, as the napkin will tear if you are too aggressive with the brush:
You can also do some adjusting with your fingers, but make sure they are wet first, or you'll pull and tear the napkin.
I made sure to use plenty Mod Podge on the brush as well, so it wouldn't pull too much on the napkin as I worked.
With each section of napkin I added, I would pat the wet brush over each piece and make sure the edges were attached to the vase well.
It's OK if the napkin isn't perfectly flat everywhere -- it will still dry just fine. The imperfections in the paper will give some nice texture after it's dry.
Because each piece of napkin wasn't tall enough, I had to do another layer around the top:
This is where I learned a lesson I had forgotten from doing this process years ago.
On some spots, I matched the pattern on top to the one below. It's hard to see here, but I'm holding up a top portion against the bottom here, to show you:
The problem with this was that I overlapped too much. When it dries that double section will be darker than the rest.
I don't know why I switched up my method half way through, but I started cutting the napkin right where I was matching the pattern below, so there was very little overlap.
That gave me a much better result:
On the side that overlapped, you can definitely tell:
It's not a huge deal, part of the beauty of this craft is that it's not perfect. I'll just turn that side to the back. 😁
I almost added a coat of watered down stain or glaze, and I think that would have helped with the discoloration in those parts. But I decided against it because I loved the color as it was.
I let the Mod Podge dry overnight, and then grabbed some glossy spray sealant to give it a gloss finish:
I sprayed two quick coats (it dried very quickly!). This will give the vase a little more protection against water or wear.
The only little detail I still had to address was the portion along the top of the vase.
After the decoupage dried, I used a razor blade to cut it down around the top, but it was still looking a little ragged. I found some leather cording in my craft stash and hot glued it around the top:
It covered the raw edge perfectly and looks great too!
I absolutely love how it turned out! At least on the good side 😂:
I love the colors, the pattern and especially the texture the Mod Podge gives the paper napkin.
The colors work so well in our home, and I already had some pretty faux flowers (from Hobby Lobby) that go perfectly with them:
Now I need to figure out where I want to display it!
I can still use this vase for fresh flowers, and the gloss clear coat will protect it from water damage. I'm not going to push it though, so I won't be submerging the outside of the vase.
This crafty project brought me back -- I remember doing this all the time when I was younger. Have you ever decoupaged something?
It's a fun and easy craft and you can use it on just about any medium!
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