Many people love crafts. Some of us have been doing crafts for years. There are few more rewarding hobbies than those that actually make something beautiful or useful. Creating beautiful crafts is a great way to spend your free time. But with so many different possibilities for making good crafts, which one should you try? Consider trying paper mache` crafts for your next crafting activity. You might think that crafting is only for adults but you would be wrong. Men, women, and children can easily learn to do different crafts, and they can do them together. Paper mache` is one of those crafts that brings people together because of all its possibilities. The stuff to make paper mache` is easy to come by, so don’t think it will be too expensive. The sky is literally the limit when it comes to paper mache`. It can be a little messy, but when you are done you will be happy with the product. Here are some great ideas for paper mache` crafts:
1. The world. Paper mache` is great because you can probably make it into just about any shape. What you will need is some chicken wire—just the normal type. Shape the wire into a sphere of any size you like. Begin applying newspaper to the sphere after dipping it into the paper mache`. Continue doing this, overlapping the paper until the sphere is completely done. Wait for the paper to dry and then repeat this process. You want to make the sphere smooth so that it does not have any dips or bumps on the surface. When the sphere is completely covered and dry you can start to design it. If you would like to make the sphere into a globe it will be easy to draw the various continents. Paint them interesting colors and paint the water. Label countries or states and cities. You could also turn the sphere into another planet, like Jupiter, Mars, or Venus. Color the planets with paint or markers. As you can see, there are lots of possibilities for the sphere. It could also be turned into a basketball.
2. Animals. Another favorite for paper mache` are favorite animals. The best thing about paper mache` is that it works with all sorts of shapes. If you can shape some wire into a convincing shape you can paper mache` it. Your favorite animal might be the gorilla. Try shaping wire into rough gorillas. Cover the gorilla with the mixture of newspaper and paper mache`. Stick dark colored felt onto the gorilla or yarn. Glue buttons on for eyes. The same could easily be done for a snake. Try using creative stuff for the scales like beads.
3. The castle. If you want to really get crazy with paper mache`, consider doing something more complicated. You could design and build a whole building. A castle is ideal because it is open and can be easily seen from above. Start with some sort of flat, movable base. Then build your towers and walls. Make sure they are connected. Finally, cover the walls with newspaper and mache`. This could take a while. Then paint the castle and add any details, such as flags. Use action figures for guards and build a mote and drawbridge.
As you can see, paper mache` is virtually limitless when it comes to possibilities. Use your imagination to design amazing things. And remember the great thing about paper mache`—when you finish your creation it will be yours forever. Good luck with all your great paper mache` creations!