Photos and pictures -- from magazines, books or your private collection -- are common items used in the art of decoupage. For a photo box, cut out photos or pictures of loved ones and paste them onto the box, overlapping some as you go. For a child’s keepsake box, cut out pictures of his favorite storybook characters from books or magazines and cover the box with them. Photocopy your photos first, so they are pliable enough to conform to the shape of the box.
Use wallpaper and fabric to add depth and interest to the box you wish to decoupage. For example, you can use a French toile pattern to decorate a breadbox for your French country kitchen. Fabrics such as felt and lace also work well; however, stay away from velour and corduroy, as these tend to be too thick. Use stripped, textured wallpaper to disguise a lockbox among the items in a room, utilizing wallpaper the same as that on the walls. Foil, textured and embossed wallpapers add interest to decoupage projects.
Paper -- homemade, wrapping, scrapbook, newspaper or cardstock -- provides endless design opportunities for the creative decoupage artist. Whether you are covering an ammo box with rifle-themed paper or you are affixing wedding-themed paper to a shoebox to hold wedding-shower cards, paper of all kinds lends itself to being cut, bent, glued and varnished. Stay away from thin tissue paper, as it has a tendency to rip.
For the unconventional decoupage crafter, leaves can be used to cover the inside and/or outside of a nature-themed shadow box. Paste various dried and flattened flowers onto a sewing box, for a feminine touch.Combine fall leaves with colorful, dried mums to create an autumn-themed jewelry box.