I've been thinking a lot about doing some paper mache over spring break. I love to paper mache and I haven't done it in a long time.

Papier mache has a bad reputation that it doesn't really deserve. I've seen truly fantastic mirrors, lightswitch plates, boxes, decorations and even functioning coffee tables made from papier mache. So, I thought I'd share some ideas with the castle. I'm going to do this in several posts so that I can better organize my info. I'll try to get some photos soon too.

Balloons - not just for kids. You can make great baskets that can be really beautiful out of a balloon and old newspaper. Ostara has passed, but if you celebrate Easter as well, here's a fun idea. Blow up a large balloon, tie it closed, and cover it with one or two layers of 1 inch wide strips of newspaper that have been dipped in a mixture of 1 part flour and 2 parts water (add a tsp or so of salt to prevent mold, and a pinch of cinnamon to improve the smell). Cover the balloon about 5/8 or 6/8 of the way up, leaving the knot uncovered. You can place the balloon in a large cup or small bucket with the knot down to let it dry. If you �have a cloths line, you can safety-pin the balloons to the cloths-line to dry. This is a lot more effective as cups and buckets can be wobbly. Personally, I tie a sturdy string between two kitchen chairs and clothspin my balloons to that. I place extra newspapers on the floor under them in case they drip.

When the papier mache has dried, put another layer or two. Allow to dry in the same way. You will probably want to end up with at least three or four layers to make the baskets sturdy enough to hold goodies. When your final layer of papier mache has dried, pop the balloon with a pin and rip it out. If you find at this point that your basket is not quite strong enough simply add additional layers of newspaper and set the basket in a bucket to dry, or hang from a cloths pin attached to the side of the bucket.

Want to be even more creative? Use a cotton string with the glue and wrap this around the balloon. You can make a pattern, but it's a lot more work and doesn't look that much more appealing than simply placing the string in a random pattern. This method produce lovely egg-shaped baskets that resemble a birds nest.

In either case, the baskets can be painted and a handle attached (Use a braid of yarn, a string of beads, a purse handle, or whatever you have around.) Fill with plastic grass and goodies. You won't want to put any food in these without putting them in a baggie or some other container first. Yuck!

You can also paint small squares of tissue paper with the glue and past these to your balloon. You will need many layers to make a stable container. Or use strips of cotton fabric instead.

You can use this method to make pinatas as well - use newspaper so that the pinata will actually break. Once you have filled the container with candy, simply add a few layers of paper mache to the top and allow to dry.

Beads - Papier mache was a popular craft during the Victorian era and one of the items women enjoyed making were paper mache beads. I'm certain there are more advanced methods for doing this, but my favorite is the old stand-by of twirling strips of paper around a stick. You can use long triangles of paper to make beads that taper at either end or strait strips to make big chunky beads. To make proper sized tapered beads here's what I do. Start with a sheet of printer paper - 8 1/2 x 11 in. Place marks one inch across all along one of the 11 in edges. On the opposite edge, place marks one inch apart, but on the half inch - so that the marks on each edge are staggered. Use a ruler to draw lines from one mark to the next opposite it. You should end up with a pattern of very elongated triangles. Cut these triangles out - you will end up with two end pieces that can't really be used for much, I suggest not attempting to make beads with them. WAIT - if you would like to have a design on your beads, you can draw or paint on the side of your paper that does NOT have triangles drawn on it. You can also place stickers or paste magazine images or other pictures onto the side that does NOT have triangles drawn on it. Remember though, that these images will not be recognizable once they become beads.

Use 1 part flour and 2 parts water with a teaspoon or  more of salt to prevent mold and a pinch of cinnamon to improve the smell to make your glue, paint it on to the side of your triangle that you do NOT want to show (the plain side) and begin rolling the triangle around a hollow stir-stick, toothpick or very thin dowel. If you use a wooden stick, I suggest coating it with a nice thick layer of glue before you get started. Leave it wet and keep it wet while you work. If you are using a wooden stick you will have to very carefully slide the bead off, trying to keep the shape, and place it on a piece of wax paper to dry. If you use a hollow stir stick, leave the bead to adhere to the stir stick. Dry on wax paper. When dry, use scissors to cut the stir stick even with the bead ends. You can make several beads on one stir stick.

You can use colorful magazine pages and (my favorite) scraps of wrapping paper to make beads as well.
Newspaper doesn't work the best for this.

When your beads are all dry, I suggest covering them with some sort of shellac. I use puzzle glue, but there's probably something better out there. This will make them less susceptible to water damage.

Longer strip of paper = thicker bead

From what I hear, these beads were sometimes used to make beaded curtains. I haven't done one yet, but I'm thinking about attempting one soon.

You can also use big strips of paper one inch or more across to make beads that are big and chunky � no tapering.

Paper Pulp � There are two methods I like for making paper pulp. Here they are:

Cold method � rip newspaper into pieces, place in a large container, such as a bucket, filled with water, allow to sit over night. The next day, repeatedly squeeze the water out of the paper, then place it back in the bucket and pull it apart. This will end up giving you something that looks like very unappetizing grey oatmeal. Finally, take out all of the paper, squeeze most of the water out, and mix it into a mixture of 1 part flour and 2 parts water � a Tbs. or more of salt helps prevent mold and cinnamon helps the smell. You don�t need much glue for the paper, probably about 1/3 glue � I don�t measure, I�m totally guessing, but it should still look like thin lumpy play-dough. For best results boil a thinner solution over the stove for a few minutes to bring it to thin play-dough consistency.

*Hot method* (recommended) � rip newspaper up and put it in a large pan filled with water. Boil the water until the newspaper falls apart � use a long-handled wooden spoon to speed this process. I�d say, use about 1 full sheet of newspaper to 3 cups of water, but again, totally guessing. When the mix is done boiling and the paper has efficiently fallen apart, it should look like very unappetizing grey oatmeal. At this point you should add some flour and continue cooking until you end up with a thin lumpy play-dough like substance. About 1/5 as much flour as paper/water mix.

If you add a few tablespoons of salt, this can be stored in the fridge for a few days, but check for mold before you use it! This can be molded like clay to make small items, and works wonders if applied in a thin layer over something made of the traditional papier mache strips. It will give you a smoother finish than the strip method. It is also fantastic for adding small details � like bunches of grapes or other sculptural decorations.

For large projects, I advise building in layers, starting with strips, and allowing the item to dry before continuing on. Only use the pulp in the final layers for details and smoothing out your finish. This will provide you with a much sturdier base.

Altar Supplies

Paper mache can be a great way to get yourself some really cheap alter supplies. You can use paper mache to make just about anything under the sun. If  you haven�t read my previous posts, or you just don�t get it, here is an over-view of the basics:

What you need:
1) Paper (duh?)
2) Glue � usually a mix of 1 part flour to 2 parts water, as always I suggest adding at least 1 tablespoon of salt to prevent mold growth and a pinch of ground cinnamon to help with the fragrance. A slightly stronger glue can be made by boiling 4-5 parts water with 1 part flour until you end up with a thick glue (add salt and cinnamon)
3) A shellac to finish � puzzle glue works fine for most things, but you could also use a number of shellacs made for wood � just make sure they dry clear. This is optional as not all items require a shellac coating.

You can either use strips of paper dipped in the glue, or you can make a paper pulp. I describe this in my former post, so I won�t go over it again here. Suffice it to say that paper pulp is much more versatile and can be used almost like a clay, but it must be applied in thin layers in order to insure adequate drying. You don�t want to make a big beautiful statue of the Lord and Lady and have it mold from the inside out.

Now, on to the good stuff. What can you make out of paper mache? . . Aside from �anything you want�, a few good ideas for alter props are:
� containers, such as boxes and jars
� statues/statuettes/figurines
� a pentacle
� flower pots

The easiest way to make a box or a flower pot is to find yourself a sturdy item that is approximately the shape you would like your finished product to be. If you can�t find one item, try taping or gluing two items together to get the shape you want. Remember that you�re going to have to get the items out of your paper mache container at some point, so you�ll want the open end of your container to be at least the same size or larger than the rest of your item. (SO, if you want a pyramid shape, you have to leave the large base/bottom of the pyramid open � don�t papier mache over it. . . I stress this because I�ve spent hours on a project only to discover that the item I was using for a mold was stuck inside!) Cover that baby with wax-paper and tape it down tight. Try to fold it to fit tight around the container/object so it retains its shape. Then, start layering on strips of newspaper dipped in glue. Allow your project to dry on wax paper, or a stack of newspapers, every couple of layers before continuing. When you get to a point that you would like to change the shape of your container a bit, start sculpting. Add extra layers of strips wherever you feel, or start adding decorations with paper pulp.

Statues are a creative thing, I can�t really tell you how to make one. For small statuettes/figurines you can start by bunching up some pulp in the approximate shape you want and letting it dry. For larger statues, you�ll probably want to start with some wire twisted around in the approximate shape you want (arms, legs, necks, whatever) and cover THAT with a layer or two of pulp. Cover the pulp with more pulp for small figures or with strips for larger figures. Strips dry faster and more consistently, and will also give you a bit more stability (Larger pieces of paper = longer fibers = stronger paper, trust me).

Pentacles are simple. Just start with a thin layer of pulp � maybe � in or so thick Then cover in layers of strips. When your pentacle is about as thick as you want you can press the design into the paper while it is still wet to end up with an impression or you can use additional pulp, or strips rolled into �snakes� � long tubes � to make a 3D design on the top of your disc.

For all projects, if you would like them to be semi-water-proof, or just hold up a while longer, you should paint them with a coat of shellac. As I stated before, I like to use regular old puzzle glue (modpodge) but you can use just about anything that's clear and paints on. Wood shellacs are nice for most things as well.

Remember that if any of these items are going to be used near fire, you'll want to either use a shellac that doesn't attract fire, or keep a real close eye on them - preferably both. Paper mache is NOT an effective tool for making candle holders, unless your ultimate goal is to burn down your house. It can be used reasonably safely around candles, provided you don't cover it in something that will attract nearby flames, read the container. Be smart.