solferino
<font color=turquoise>Doing the best I can<br><fon
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2005
- Messages
- 3,619
There was a thread on the CB about craft ideas I responded to and she asked that I share this one- I got the idea that was in the newspaper, it looks like it originated from Family Fun Magazine. I didn't like the way the test bowls came out, so I tweaked it to something I was happy with. (the original instructions didn't use tissue paper on the outside and had construction paper for the designs. No matter how much I let the construction paper soak they didn't stay in place. YMMV)
Recycled newspaper bowl
Tear the newspaper into 1-inch squares. Put the pieces in a blender, then fill it three quarters full with warm water. Blend the ingredients on medium speed for a few minutes or until it forms a pulpy mixture, also known as slurry. ETA- you will need to do a few sheets of newspaper at a time, otherwise you'll kill your blender if you have too much. Sorry. Repeat process a couple of times for a large bowl.
Set the colander over the bucket, then pour in the slurry. Let it drain for about 10 minutes. I've found that repeating this process with clean water makes for a cleaner finished project. The ink will rinse out with the water. Otherwise it may make the pattern of the colander it was in. Matter of preference, but I don't care for the black marks.
Meanwhile, use a paper towel to apply a light coating of vegetable oil to the inside of a round kitchen sieve. This will help the finished paper bowl come off the screen more easily.
Line the sieve with tissue paper being careful to make it smooth.
With your fingers, scoop and mold a thick, even layer of slurry along the inside of the sieve, covering the tissue paper. Gently press the slurry against the sieve to squeeze out any excess water. Don’t make it too thin, an estimated ¼” would be a good thickness. Turn any excess tissue paper over the bowls edge towards the middle. Add more tissue paper to inside of bowl if needed.
If you want, cut smaller pieces of tissue paper in assorted colors and shapes and place on inside of bowl. You can also use a decorative punch with REGULAR colored paper and soak the punched images in water to soften. Diluted white glue to help secure these smaller pieces is a good idea.
Allow to dry thoroughly- can take several days. If it’s particularly humid, you can speed up the process by putting in a 200deg oven for a couple of hours. (if you’re using a plastic basket, be sure this is after it’s air dried and can hold its shape, otherwise you’ll have a mess in the oven)
Spray with acrylic sealer on both sides after it’s completely dry.
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We did this project with 8-14 year olds in summer programs at the place I work. They loved the project and the parents loved them too.
The bowls are decorative only.
Recycled newspaper bowl
- Assorted tissue paper
- newspaper
- Blender
- Warm water
- Colander and bucket
- Paper towels
- Vegetable oil
- Round kitchen sieve (the mesh kind work best!) or plastic mesh breadbasket like restaurants use
- Large bowl
- Acrylic sealer spray
- decorative punchers
Tear the newspaper into 1-inch squares. Put the pieces in a blender, then fill it three quarters full with warm water. Blend the ingredients on medium speed for a few minutes or until it forms a pulpy mixture, also known as slurry. ETA- you will need to do a few sheets of newspaper at a time, otherwise you'll kill your blender if you have too much. Sorry. Repeat process a couple of times for a large bowl.
Set the colander over the bucket, then pour in the slurry. Let it drain for about 10 minutes. I've found that repeating this process with clean water makes for a cleaner finished project. The ink will rinse out with the water. Otherwise it may make the pattern of the colander it was in. Matter of preference, but I don't care for the black marks.
Meanwhile, use a paper towel to apply a light coating of vegetable oil to the inside of a round kitchen sieve. This will help the finished paper bowl come off the screen more easily.
Line the sieve with tissue paper being careful to make it smooth.
With your fingers, scoop and mold a thick, even layer of slurry along the inside of the sieve, covering the tissue paper. Gently press the slurry against the sieve to squeeze out any excess water. Don’t make it too thin, an estimated ¼” would be a good thickness. Turn any excess tissue paper over the bowls edge towards the middle. Add more tissue paper to inside of bowl if needed.
If you want, cut smaller pieces of tissue paper in assorted colors and shapes and place on inside of bowl. You can also use a decorative punch with REGULAR colored paper and soak the punched images in water to soften. Diluted white glue to help secure these smaller pieces is a good idea.
Allow to dry thoroughly- can take several days. If it’s particularly humid, you can speed up the process by putting in a 200deg oven for a couple of hours. (if you’re using a plastic basket, be sure this is after it’s air dried and can hold its shape, otherwise you’ll have a mess in the oven)
Spray with acrylic sealer on both sides after it’s completely dry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
We did this project with 8-14 year olds in summer programs at the place I work. They loved the project and the parents loved them too.
The bowls are decorative only.
