CRAFT: a little podge. a little paper. ANNIE ROCCHIO

   
 
Perhaps we shouldn’t disregard the simplicity of childhood projects. Like that of paper mache!  Stacy asked me to do a design/craft piece a while back. I thought about it long and hard and often….what was I going to do?  Nothing stuck with me.  But, due to my extraordinary ability to procrastinate and then plow through, I finally got an idea on Sunday morning. I was browsing through the plethora of design blogs I follow and ALAS! I came across an image of a beautiful paper mache bowl. That was it— this was the project I would take on!  
 
 
What you need:
 
Newspaper
Mod podge
Scissors
Paint brushes
Vaseline
Bowls for a mold
Mixing container
Paint

 

 
1.  Cut lots of newspaper into different sizes. Long pieces, short pieces, fat pieces, and skinny pieces.
 

 
2. Make a mixture of mod podge and water in a container big enough so that you can let the piece of newspaper swim around and become coated on both sides.
 

 
3. I used kitchen mixing bowls that came as a set so each bowl would have the same shape.  Coat the bowls with Vaseline so that they can be easily removed after the paper mache process. Don’t worry, just throw em in the dishwasher after or get yourself some SOS sponges to clean them after.
 

 

 
4.  Place a layer of newspaper around the bowl (the Vaseline with help the pieces stick).  Paint some mod podge on to start the process.  Keep layering the bowl with pieces of newspaper dipped in the glue mixture. I did about 6 layers.
 

 
5. I let the bowls dry for about 30 minutes and then pulled them out of the bowl.  They were still a bit wet, but I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to get them out and how long it would take them to dry in the bowl.  You can probably leave them in until completely dry. If you decide to take them out early, carefully pull the paper bowl away from the plastic bowl and shimmy it out carefully.  The piece will still be malleable so you can get it to the shape you like.  There will be a lot of petroleum jelly left on the bowls.  This can easily be covered up with another layer of paper mache.  I let my pieces dry overnight and throughout the day…just keep checking
 

 
6. I wanted a clean edge, so I cut off a small bit of the paper at the top.  If your pieces are not all sticking together (like mine) you can try putting tape across the rim of the bowl. I don’t suggest masking tape, but something very sticky!
 

 
 
7.  Pick your colors for your bowls. I wanted white on the outside of all three. For the inside I did gold, black, and attempted copper foil.  That was interesting… and you are on your own for that one!
 

 
During this process, I got glue and paint all over myself and became impatient (something I believe comes along with procrastination?) waiting for the glue to dry and then the paint and then the paint again. I turned a pair of black leggings mostly white along the way and smoked a lot of cigarettes in between coats. (It’s okay, I quit every other week!) I feared the bowls wouldn’t turn out as beautiful as the photo I found.
 
Then I realized, isn’t that the beauty of art classes in elementary school? Every kid had has his or her own version of the project and every piece is its own masterpiece. Isn’t making a mess the beauty of working with podge, paint, and paper? The mess is a part of the fun. It’s why we try to make anything at all.
 
                                                     

Annie Rocchio is a wardrobe stylist by day and an assortment of types by night— digging her hands into anything from crafting to cooking, or planting, traveling, redoing a hallway, and of course— buying unnecessary objects.  These adventures are then blogged about on sunandglory.  There isn’t just one hobby to conquer, there are many. Check out her work here.

**All photography used in this piece is courtesy of Annie Rocchio.