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Decoupaged Wooden Pig DIY

September 02, 2021

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A few weeks ago, I popped into a thrift shop, for the first time in over a year.

It was a lovely little spot, overflowing with treasures of all kinds.

In less than 15 minutes, I'd loaded up my arms and was heading for the door. It was a brief trip, but I still ended up with almost too much to carry.

This Little Piggy Got A Makeover wooden pig on a bench

It was a good, good day.

Since then, I've been playing with my purchases. Envisioning what they could be, where they could shine and how I could improve them.

For me, the dreaming is the best part.

A few of my fun finds have already received makeovers. A black and white cow piggy bank was the first.

He turned out so well, I decided to stick with the farm animals and move on to this little wooden pig.

FYI- You can catch a video of my process on Instagram

Painted Wooden Pig

When I originally shared him, I mentioned that he was perfectly perfect as is. And he was. I just wanted to take him up a notch.

His black and white color scheme was classic, but a little too farmhouse for this cottage style girl.

I craved a softer look. Something with flowers perhaps...

So, I hit Amazon and found the perfect napkins and started working on my vision.

I often use napkins to transform thrift treasures. 

At Christmastime on glass or wood.
During fall with splatter screens.
And old glass cutting boards

Now, as a little aside here, I have to tell you, I didn't start out napkin shopping on Amazon. I mean I don't normally look for napkins online since, they're available everywhere in person.

Or they used to be anyway.

I was shocked when I went into the stores and found that most of my go to's were no longer carrying them.

Oh sure, there were a few fall cocktail napkins...a couple of pumpkins, a wreath of leaves, Happy Fall in orange letters, but other than that nothing.

It didn't take me long to realize that things had changed and online was my best bet.

I started out by painting my little friend to give him a good base color.  

Once I found these lovely rose napkins, I got to work on a dark evening, before an expected hurricane. Tis the season.

Before we get started, I wanted to mention that if you are not into DIY but love the look you can get something similar online. These darling minis are close

And, you don't have to cover wooden pigs, you can cover any wooden animal you like this way. Etsy has a ton of bare wood ones ready to go. Some are very thin others are thicker, but there's a variety to choose from...

Floral Napkin draped over wooden pig

I started my process by opening up my napkins and removing both underneath layers. This part can be tricky, since the first layer is usually very easy to see.

However, sometimes there's a sneaky layer that almost feels bonded to the printed top layer. Make sure to remove that as well or you'll have trouble later.

The Mod Podge will cause them to separate midway through and then you'll have a mess.

Once that part was accomplished, this DIY was relatively straightforward. Well, to start anyway.

I used a foam brush to apply the decoupage gel to the wood and then placed my napkin on top. Then I smooth the napkin out with my fingers and then with my hand in a plastic bag.

Easy, right?

Well, not really, you see the legs moved and there were odd spaces, so I had to patch.

Cutting In Napkins For Decoupage Pig

Thankfully this pattern was very forgiving. I was able to cut a piece out of another part of the napkin that matched and patched it in.

Patching Napkins In Decoupage

It was simple task. I just added more Mod Podge and placed the paper on it and cut away any of it that was too long or too large.

When my pig was completely covered with roses, I turned him over and cut away any of the the excess napkin with an exacto craft knife.

(ps- if you missed any of the supplies here, you can always check my Amazon shop for details)

It's the same knife I used when I cut in the contact paper and peel and stick wallpaper in my pantry.

It's a great little tool, you must be very careful with it though and make sure to use a fresh, sharp blade for best results.

Using Exacto Knife To Cut Napkin 

When the body was set, I repeated napkin/ decoupage process on the the legs.

Applying Napkin For Decoupage on pig legs

Then I grabbed my foam brush and gave the entire wooden piece a fresh coat of Mod Podge...very carefully, so the napkin didn't move or tear.

Again, I took a plastic ziplock baggie and used it as glove to smooth out all the wrinkles and bumps. The plastic trick works great - especially on wood.
 
It keeps your tacky fingers from getting stuck on the napkin. It just slides across the top, without disrupting the gentle tissue paper.

Using Plastic Bag To Decoupage

I made sure to wiggle his little legs every now and then so they'd still move once the decoupage gel dried. Then I sat him down on the kitchen counter for a good night's sleep.

A little messy, but I was confident he'd dry well.

Wet Decoupaged Napkin Pig

Thankfully, the next morning the hurricane was not upon us, but apparently, the craft fairy had shown up in the middle of the night.

Because when I greeted my new and improved, rose covered wooden pig, he looked fabulous!

Cottage Style Wooden Pig on a table with lemons and roses

So fabulous, in fact, that I couldn't decide whether I should display him in the kitchen. Or in my bedroom. He seemed to fit in both rooms very well.

Rose Covered Pig Decor on a dresser with roses

He's so versatile and charming now.

He looks lovely roaming in any room of the house.

Which is great, since I have a feeling that's just what he'll be doing!

Wooden Pig Decoupage DIY Pin

Would you decoupage a pig?
Kim Signature


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  1. Replies
    1. Haha! Thanks! This one definitely has a piece of my heart!

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  2. As always... you amaze me!
    My mom loves pigs.. you just gave me a fun idea to look for when I go thrifting.

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    1. I love pigs, too, Carla! I hope you find one to makeover!

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  3. This is so cute! How do you find such cool wooden items? I never see wooden cutting boards or things like this in our shops.

    II use napkins this way when I make greeting cards. I love the romantic look of scrunching the paper up a bit on the front of the card.

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    1. Your card creations are lovely, Jenny! I enjoy seeing them on Instagram. I think your paper crafting is much more sophisticated than my napkin play. Maybe I could learn a few things from you!

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  4. Kim, this is a beautiful transformation! I love your choice of napkin and your pig is now the cutest shabby chic girly! Love her!

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    1. Thanks Kim! Crafting is a great distraction from the real world, especially when you have such a cutie to spend time with! 😉

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  5. Oh, Kim, he is just so sweet. He looks much more worthy than a $2 price tag. You really know how to make a piggy proud..Happy Thursday..xxoJudy

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    1. Thanks Judy! I love the way it came out and you're right, the price was amazing. Of course, the napkins were not a bargain, but that's ok. I guess I'll just have to find a lot of ways to use them!! xo

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks Laura! This one has a piece of my heart. Great find for $2.

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  7. How cute Kim. You found pretty napkins. Your little piggy is very cute. Hope you are doing well with all the hurricane rain. The flooding looks pretty bad. xoxo

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    1. Thanks Kris! Yes, lots of rain, a little in the basement (which has never happened before!), a lot in the pool and a tornado warning to boot. Highly unusual in these parts.

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  8. I never thought I'd say this pig is gorgeous. So pretty Km, love the colors and pattern. Pinned!

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    1. Thanks Cindy!! I'm a huge pig fan. I have lots of them around here...but this one may just be my {current} favorite. Shhh...don't tell the others!!

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  9. Awe, he's the cutest little piggie!! P&C!

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    1. Thank you, Cindy! He's a sweet addition to my cottage.

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  10. Replies
    1. Thanks Paula! I'm happy with the way he turned out.

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  11. That is very cute - I love doing decoupage!

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  12. It turned out to be the cutest pig!!

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  13. You find such nice items in the thrift store to makeover Kim! You made such a pretty pig. It will look great in any area of your home. I hope you have a nice weekend.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Julie...every now and then I get lucky at the shops. It was good to be back at it again!

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  14. You had me at "Pig' and I love his new look. Decoupage is the best!

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    1. I feel the same way, Ann. I have pigs all over this house. I can't seem to pass one up! I also love decoupage and your tips have changed my technique for the better...thanks!

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  15. Now that's one pretty pig! Such a pretty napkin choice, Kim. Only you could give a wooden pig upscale cottage country charm. xo

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    1. Thank you for the kind words about my pig and about me, Marie! Big smiles over here.

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  16. I think you made a beautiful silk purse out of a sow's ear!!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I love those words, Bobbie! Thank you so much!!

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  17. Love the vision you had for this little piggy, Kim, and how you successfully carried it out. A true cottage piglet. Charming. xx

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    1. Thanks Nancy, great compliment! I love the way he turned out. I thought about a painting technique, but this just felt right. Hugs!!

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  18. I’ve got to start doing this. I just bought supplies to decoupage some oyster shells. I bought a few on Etsy and then said ‘hey I can totally do this myself’
    I’m excited to pick from my storage tote of guest and cocktail napkins! Enjoy the weather this weekend Kim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I just saw someone make earrings with napkin decoupaged oyster shells. They were lovely. I've also seen the Christmas ornaments made the same way. I'd love to see what you come up with!! I hope you enjoy the weekend, too...sunny so far! Yay!!

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  19. This is the cutest pig ever!

    Those napkins are great!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Deanna! I love the napkins. I keep trying to figure out where else I can use them.

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  20. I think the napkins you found are great and your piggy looks so cute.
    Stay safe in the bad weather.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks Jan! The napkins really are so pretty...they make the whole project.

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  21. Replies
    1. Thanks Penny! I like this piggy much better now.

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  22. He is charming - perhaps he needs a partner so you can keep one in the kitchen and the other in the bedroom! Although, I'm sure they'd be lonely for each other. I can't say that I would decoupage a pig, but I admire that you did!

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    1. A partner! I never thought of that...Oh my. Now I need to find him a friend!!

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  23. She turned out so so cute! Love this idea!

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  24. What a fun project! I am always looking for things like this to share to my DIY board for teens to do!

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    Replies
    1. I hope they enjoy it and thanks so much!! This one was fun.

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  25. Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Kristi! It's was a fun creation.

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  26. This is just the cutest little transformed piggy! I love using Modpodge and napkins, such a fun crafting idea! I'm glad the hurricane didn't cause you any problems!

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    1. Thanks so much, Marilyn. Thankfully the hurricane passed us by and that little napkin covered piglet is the only remnants.

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  27. I love what you did to this pig! Thanks for sharing and also the inspiration to look on Amazon for napkins. I found some here in NZ but they were ridiculously expensive.

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    1. I can't believe that on shops carried anything pretty locally. I was shocked. Amazon to the rescue...for me and my little piggy!

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  28. I concur. He does look fabulous, Kim. What a cutie

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    1. Thanks Michelle! This one has a piece of my heart.

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  29. OK-That might be the cutest pig I've ever seen. My best friend married an executive for a big oil company. After they got married he told her that his dream was to own/operate a pig farm. LOL. The moved to MN and he bought a farm and for many years they raised thousands of pigs for Hormel. She hated them, by the way. She worked as a manager at a big hotel chain. Every year at Christmas I would send her 12 pig things in a big box that said- Open at the hotel. One pig for every month of the year. I would send them to the hotel and she would have to open them in front of her co-workers. She gets red-faced very easily (being a sandy redhead) and they all got the biggest kick out of that whole process. I was kind of sad when they sold the pig farm. Now they raise beef...not nearly as much fun for me! lol. Bet you never thought you would get such a comment on a decorated pig, did you? lol. xo Diana

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    1. That's ridiculous, Diana!! I love that story...and I have to admit, I love pigs. I don't know why, I just think they're so cute...whether they're covered in napkins or not! Thanks for sharing!! ❤️

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