Make gorgeous Paper Mache Bowls for Mother’s Day, and paint them in vibrant colours with acrylics paints:
I had it in my head last week that we would make paper mache bowls for the Hooligans to give as Mother’s Day gifts, but never in my wildest dreams did I think they would turn out this well!
This really was easy, and it’s an inexpensive (read: free) way to make a gift that’s absolutely gorgeous.
It does require a bit of time though, because the paper mache has to dry completely before you can paint it, so we worked in steps and stages over a couple of days to make these.
Here’s how we did it:
I dug a few plastic bowls out of our camping gear, and covered them with plastic wrap (tape your plastic wrap in place to secure). I’ve also heard you can cover your bowls with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. Personally, I thought the plastic wrap sounded like the easier method. This step is necessary so that you can release your paper mache bowl from your plastic one once it’s dry.
I mixed up a “paper mache paste” using about a cup of flour and some water. Just add enough water, and whisk smooth until you have something that resembles thin pancake batter or wallpaper paste. I added a couple of tsps of salt to prevent mold from growing.
You can use cut up strips of construction paper or newspaper or paper bags. We used paper bags.
Dip your strips into the paste, run the strip through your fingers to remove excess paste, and mould the strip to the bowl. Continue until your bowl is covered.
I set the bowls upside down over some jars, and set them by the fire for 24 hours. They were fairly fragile when they were dry so we added another 2 layers of strips of the paper pieces, and let them dry for another day or two. When I was certain that they were completely dry, we popped them off the plastic bowls, and I cleaned up the edges with some scissors where necessary.
Today the colourful, creativie fun began Each Hooligan chose a colour for the outside of their bowl and a different colour for the inside, and they set to work painting them up. I left their colour choices completely up to them wanting each of them to have the opportunity to use whatever colour scheme they desired. We used acrylic craft paint and a blast with the hairdryer had them dry in no time. 
Then they decorated them with their choices of accent colours. Another blast with the hairdryer and they were ready for a coat of sealant. I brushed a coat of clear craft sealant over the inside and the outside of the bowls, and they dried quickly.
And just LOOK at them! Aren’t they gorgeous?!
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you amazing moms out there! Have a wonderful day!
If this is your first visit to Happy Hooligans, I’d love for you to pop over and LIKE us on facebook. I update my page daily with easy and affordable arts, crafts and play ideas.
You can follow me on Pinterest too! I have over 90 boards dedicated to all kinds of kids’ crafts and activities, as well as some personal interest boards too.
See you there!
 |
Those are so gorgeous, and what a creative idea for a Mother’s Day gift. I love how the bowls have an cultural feel to them. They look like bowls you could find at a Mexican market. So beautiful!
Jackie, these are gorgeous & each one is so unique, I’m sure they will be treasured for years to come.
Thanks, Kierna! I want to make one for myself now!
Yes, these are fabulous! Well done Happy Hooligans; what lucky mums to receive these beauties. x
These are beautiful! We made a pinata from paper mache and my son loved working with the paper! I bet he would enjoy this activity too! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Gina! A pinata would be beautiful. What a great idea! Isn’t paper mache great?
These turned out so beautiful! I love your tip about adding salt to the paste – I’ve been wanting to do paper mache, but was worried about the mold possibility.
Thanks, Trisha. Everything I’ve read says to let the paper mache dry really well in to ensure mold doesn’t grow, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to add the salt. It really is fun and easy. As long as you don’t mind the goopy-messy part, you’ll love the process.
I totally love these! I’ve made these with my students using balloons for the armature and adding a ring of rolled paper so they could stand. The funny thing is that the kids liked wearing them as hats! We will be making these…x-mas …birthday gifts… The possibilities are endless!
Thanks, Melissa. I thought about using the balloons. We’ll have to try that another time. And yes, ours were worn as hats too. lol Glad you like the bowls. You’re right – you could make them for any occasion!
Love these bowls!! What a great Mother’s Day gift and what a FUN activity to spread over several days! So lovely!
It was kind of fun to spread the process out over a few days. The kids were really excited when they finally came together.
these are great. Love the bright colours
These are so fun. I’ll have to try these soon!
They are so pretty!
Thanks, Phyllis!
They really are very colorful and beautiful!!
Cecilia
Thanks, Cecilia! I loved how vibrant they turned out to be.
Pingback: קערה צבעונית מרצועות נייר (עיסת נייר) לילדים « הזמנה ליצירה
Pingback: Links – Art & Craft, Child Development & Policy « Montessori Alliance
Sooo pretty! It’s not Mother’s Day here for ages (UK) so I’ve pinned them. We haven’t done paper mâché for ages, thanks for the reminder, such a fun craft and really cheap too
Thanks for pinning, Hannah! I hope you have fun with them. It think this will go down as one of my all-time favourite projects here!
I love these paper mache bowls!!! Adorable!:)
Thanks, Becky! These bowls are one of my all-time favourites as well!
So kind of you to share your Mother’s Day project. The instructions are easy to follow, also some excellent tips. I will pin this activity for future use. Thank you!
I am a new mom again after 22 yrs and you have helped me to entertain this new spirit! Thanks
You’re so welcome! Nothing makes me happier than to know our ideas are inspiring and bringing happiness to other moms and hooligans out there.
Pingback: (tot school tuesday) 35 handmade mother's day gifts
These are so beautiful!! Thank you for sharing them at Crafty Moms Share Mother’s Day Gift Link Party!
Thanks, Carrie! It was my pleasure!