A Papier Mache Pedestal

This piece was very, very custom.

Aunt Amy's daughter gave her a solar light.  Auntie A knew just where she wanted to put it, but it wasn't quite tall enough to peek over the edge of the window sill.  Plus she announced that she didn't have any of my art.  So I made a pedestal for it.   But Auntie A. is just so hip and cool and up for anything that I decided to do something a little different....

I'm not going to write a tutorial because who else wants to use papier mache to turn a plastic cup and some cardstock into a faux stem for a solar light?  Not many people, I'm guessing......

So here's a pictorial summary instead.

I made the papier mache out of just white tissue paper (used for wrapping presents) and white glue.   It worked about the same as more complicated recipes with sawdust and chalk, although I suspect the final result wasn't as strong..

Acrylic paint watered down and mixed.

 

Decorating it was obviously great fun and very messy.

(Ever notice how often "great fun" and "very messy" go together?)

Since it is different on every side, (and since I'm really jazzed about it!), here are some more shots:

Now here was how I planned it to be used:

But I ended up making it a little warped.  Accidentally!  And Aunt Amy discovered that it actually worked better this way.  Anyone who knows either of us is not surprised by this turn of events!

Weekly Round-Up

This week....

.... we harvested and ate purple beans!  (They turn green when you cook them.)

... The Magician tore out spent plants from the veggie garden (peas and lettuce) and then replant the squares with new stuff (kale, carrots, peas, and beans).  I'm thinking we are about a week late on some of those, but we'll see.

... he also started on what I'm calling our "Us Painting," designed with help from our readers:

... I played with papier mache.

.... I played with tissue paper.....

.... and I played with wood.  (I got lots of help from dad with that.)

Too many projects in progress and not enough getting done!  (I'm also going to turn cardboard in stained glass.  It's on the agenda for next week, in theory.)  But next week I should have some more time..... And when projects are done, I'll post tutorials with photo, promise!

Virutal Upcycle Art Show

Here are pics from the Upcycling Art Show in Beatrice that closed on Saturday.   Enjoy!

First, some from some of the other artists:

I think this is one of Nancy Hagler-Vujojic's pieces.  She wasn't sure if the toaster would still work.....

 More after the jump....

Stylish DIY Papier Mâché Gold Mirror Tutorial

So excited about how this one turned out!

I usually like to do stealth upcycling, wherein the viewer doesn't realize that the object or art was made (usually for free) out of trash.  I'm particularly delighted with this project because I think it actually looks like hammered gold.  And, yes, it was completely free.  Plus it weighs a good deal less than it would if it were gold!

It was not a quickie project, but it was really satisfying to make.  A tutorial follows after the jump if you would like one of your own.

Weekly Round-Up

The last two weeks I...

... went on a brief silent retreat.  It was a lovely three days!
.... worked on my current papier mache project.

... Went with Aunty M to see some Japanese fashion and eat crepes.  Always a good time!
.... Made some garden plans.

 He wants wavy lines and flowers.

I want straight lines and vegetables.

He wins, though, because as my mother pointed out (who generally thinks every idea my husband has is wonderful, but they are both usually right), it's easier to keep a wavy-line garden looking neat.  Straight and tidy plans show neglect much more quickly.

Mr. Precision sketched out the backyard layout on graph paper, neatly to scale, of course, and then we popped it inside one of those plastic paper protectors and used (and re-used) a white board erasable marker.

We're going to order from a heritage seed catalog so that we can try collecting seeds for next year.

What have you been up to lately?

Weekly Round-Up

This week I....
.... worked on turning this into a blanket for my husband's birthday (which is tomorrow).

 ... enjoyed the company of some friends at an informal wine and cheese evening.

... added another layer to the papier mache mirror

... got a surprise package in the mail--the giveaway from CraftGossip.com included two books.  The first was Make your Own Cute and Easy Pompoms, which surprised me with the sheer amount of detail and variety and the other was Playing with Image Transfers by Courney Cerruti, which looks like a lot of fun for someone like me who is addicted to collecting paper with interesting images on it.
... stopped by to see Gen and little Madeline.  My niece Arwen had just loved that toy, so we were glad to see it making another little girl happy.  (Here's hoping it doesn't drive her parents crazy.  It does have an off button....)

Paper Mache Mirror Frame: A Work in Progress

I will post a tutorial when it is done (if it works!) but in the meantime, here's some of what I've been up to: