I like Mod Podge for many reasons. First, the logo for this all-in-one glue, sealer, and finish is exceedingly pleasant. It tells you that there’s plenty of fun in store when you unscrew the cap.
Second, the smell is to die for. The stuff looks like Elmer’s glue, but it has a smell all its own. Rich topsoil after a rain, laced with a little WD-40, maybe. Mod Podge is advertised as being non-toxic, so feel free to poke your snout into a jar and inhale deeply (see update below). The smell also takes me back to my Cub Scout days, when I decoupaged a wooden box with postage stamps for a father’s day present.
Third, Mod Podge works wonderfully. I use it to make my paintings and painted objects look shiny. I use the “Gloss Lustre” variety for extra shine. Here’s a little Russian nesting doll I painted a while back as part of a group project (I’m still waiting for everyone else to finish painting their dolls). (Click on thumbnail for enlargement)
Mod Podge was much more popular in the 1970s than it is today. That’s a shame, because people are missing out on the fun you can have with it. Look at this plaque made from pills, made by a pharmacist. It’s featured in a 1969 booklet called Rags to Riches with Mod Podge.
“This plaque made from pills by a pharmacist is great medicine for a wall suffering from the blahs. Mount pills on a piece of masonite or glass. Apply Mod Podge to mounting surface and let dry. Draw a design on the board, or draw it on a piece of paper and put it under the glass. Apply Mod Podge to the design with an artist’s brush and put on the pills, pressing firmly. Let dry, then apply Mod Podge over pills. Frame. Hang out of reach of children.”
Reader comment:
Chip says:
Mark – loved the post about modpodge. It’s great stuff! in college I used it to cover my 1974 fleetwood hearse with pink and purple fabric. I got tired of people waving me through stop lights.
Chris says:
Just a note on your Mod Podge as being “non-toxic”. Us folks with toxicology backgrounds don’t like that term (everything is toxic) and in this case Mod Podge’s MSDS lists residual vinyl acetate which is a confirmed animal carcinogen as being present at a level of up to 0.5%.
So deep inhaling may not be the best practice.