DIY Mod Podge Project: Upcycle an Old Thermos!

Looking for an easy mod podge project? Upcycle an old thermos with napkin decoupage instead of buying a new one. Your kids will love it!

It’s Craft Week! Yay! This week I’ve joined a bunch of other craft bloggers and wonderful craft companies to give you a bunch of crafting fun.

Are you sick of buying new thermoses and water bottles for your kids every year? Did you know you can upcycle an old thermos with a few every craft supplies?

Today I’m going to show you how to use unused decorative napkins for decoupage. If you save everything like me, I’m sure you have some leftover party napkins of your child’s favorite thing.

Make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for more Mod Podge project ideas from some of my crafty friends!

Materials Needed for Thermos Decoupage

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links from Shareasale, Cricut, Awin, CreativeFabrica, and Amazon.com. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my links (purple text). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• Mod Podge – I used dishwasher safe
• Acrylic paint (optional)
• Flat paintbrush
• decorative napkins – I think mine were from the Dollar Tree

How to Mod Podge with Napkins

Make sure to watch the video at the top or side of the post to see all the steps in action! I also used the same method when I decoupaged napkins onto a glass vase that you can check out if you want more Mod Podge project ideas.

Make sure the old thermos is clean. Since mine had a bright decoration on it that I didn’t want to show through.

I used painter’s tape to protect the bottom of the thermos and then I started by applying two layers of white acrylic paint.

Let the paint fully dry.

Prepare a Napkin for Decoupage

I measured the space of the thermos and used a rotary cutter to cut the napkin to the same size.

To decoupage with napkins, you’ll only want the very top layer. Some napkins will be 2 ply and some are 3 ply. You’ll need to separate them.

The easiest way I found to do this, is to add a little bit of glue stick to my thumb and index finger and then pinch the corner of the napkin. The plies will stick to each finger and as you pull your fingers apart, the layers will separate. Once they are separated, pull them apart.

Apply a section of Mod Podge on top of the paint with long flat strokes.

Then place the top layer of the napkin on top of the Mod Podge. To smooth it down a bit, I stick my hand in a ziplock bag and gently dab and smooth down the napkin on the glue.

Once I had the first section flattened, I applied another section of Mod Podge and smoothed the napkin over that part. Make sure all the section s are smoothed down so bubbles don’t form.

My napkin didn’t end up being quite long enough so I cut a small piece of the napkin and added on the extra open space.

Let the Mod Podge dry for 1-2 hours. Then you are going to apply your first layer of Mod Podge over the napkin. Again use long flat stroked and make sure to seal the edges with the sealant.

Let the first layer for 2 hours and then apply another layer. I added a third layer after it dried for another few hours. Then I removed the tape.

Plaid recommends to let the Mod Podge cure for 28 days to be dishwasher safe. However, stainless steel tumblers and thermos should not be put in the dishwasher because it can mess with the keeping warm and cold mechanism.

I always hand wash and recommend to hand wash this decoupaged thermos.

But definitely make sure the Mod Podge dries for at least 3 days before you get it wet!

If you’d like to save this post for later, simply hover over the image below and PIN It now!

Thanks for stopping by and have a creative day!