04/06/2012 - Paper Mache Eggs

I got the family involved in this craft...and we had a messy, fun time of it. I haven't done paper mache since grade school, but what a festive use of newspaper.

Reclaimed Material: newspaper 
Other Material: balloons
Tools: scissors, all-purpose glue, mixing bowl, little bowls 

How I did it: I squirted the glue in the mixing bowl, added water and mixed it up thoroughly. I cut the newspaper into strips (about 3/4" x 4") and put them in the glue mixture to soak. I lined the table with newspaper (which really didn't help). We blew up the balloons to different sizes to make our egg shapes. We used the little bowls as stands to hold the balloons in place and began placing the soaked strips over the balloon to cover the entire surface, turning the balloon as needed. We repeated the steps so there were three layers of newspaper on each balloon. We left the tied end of the balloon uncovered. After the balloons fully dried (about 18 hours) and popped the balloons and pulled them out through the uncovered hole.

What I would do differently: I should have used a little bit more glue in the mixture, but we still had a good time getting ready for Easter.

04/05/2012 - Easter Grass

Easter grass...what a scam! Yes, it is cheap, but you are just buying shredded up bits of colored plastic that have no use other than cushioning the basket.

Reclaimed Material: plastic flower paper, Mylar balloon
Other Material: none
Tools: scissors 

How I did it: I folded flower paper (left over from making flowers) and folded it in half lengthwise again and again. I cut vertical strips, about 1/8" wide until all the paper was cut. For the Mylar balloon, I trimmed off the edges that were glued/melted together, then cut it the same way. I mixed the pieces together and ended up with some colorful and shiny Easter grass for Zoe's basket!

What I would do differently: A paper shredded would have made this process go faster, but ours cross shreds so it wouldn't have worked. No biggie because I only have one child to worry about. Colorful paper would work just as well.