Paper Mache Ornaments

I got this idea from my older sister, Design Mom. Back when she was in the throes of art school she made these ornaments. Here is a small tutorial on how I did it.

1. Buy Claycrete or something similar. {It is a lot easier to sculpt with this stuff than regular paper mache.} You can get it or something like it at an art supply store. Mix Claycrete with water and mold around a wad of paper. I used old magazines. Follow general directions on package. With one bag of Claycrete we made 16 ornaments. Insert wire into the top so that you will have something to hang it to. {We didn’t do this part and ended up drilling a tiny hole in the top of each one.} It takes about 2 days to dry. You can speed up the process by baking the sculptures. It took ours about a day to dry and we put it in the oven on and off for a total of three hours. {A few hours in the evening and a little the next day.}

2. When the sculptures are dry paint them. We used acrylic paints but you can use anything you need. You don’t need gesso or a primer if you use Claycrete. Let paint dry. Lightly spray with gold spray paint so that they glitter. {I think the gold makes ALL the difference.} Attach ribbon and hang on tree!

Category: christmas, DIY projects, things I made