GETTING STARTED To make great paper crafts you need the right materials and a place where you can think and create Your family may have a permanent makerspace set up for crafting or you can create one whenever you need it You may already have many of the supplies shown here Your family can buy anything else you need at a craft store or dollar store Organize your supplies in boxes or plastic bins and you will be ready to create in your makerspace A note about patterns Many of the crafts in this book use patterns or templates Trace the pattern cut the pattern and then place it on the material you want to cut out You can either tape it in place and cut both the pattern and material or trace around the pattern onto the material and then cut it out recyclables You can make all of the crafts in this book with materials found around the house Save recyclables newspapers used wrapping paper tissue paper magazines flyers junk mail greeting cards and more to use in your craft projects Use your imagination and have fun A note about measurements Measurements are given in U S form with metric in parentheses The metric conversion is rounded to the nearest whole number to make it easier to measure 4
Paint ruler Scissors cardboard Tubes GLue and Tape PaintBrushes ClIPS Pencil balloons Dowels Feathers Tissue paper Felt Pipe Cleaners 5
TECHNIQUES Have fun while making your paper crafts Be creative Your craft projects do not have to look just like the ones in this book For example you can make a half-balloon base by using the directions at right but you can also use a plastic mask mold from a craft store Use the following techniques to create your paper crafts Paper-Mache Glue Add equal amounts of white glue and water in a bowl Mix the glue and water together with a spoon If you have leftover glue put it in a container with a lid and use it later An empty yogurt container works well Paper-mache technique Prepare your base You can make bases out of paper plates egg cartons balloons or store-bought molds Tear several strips of newspaper Mix together your paper-mache glue Use a paintbrush to coat both sides of a strip Or dip the strip into the glue then use your fingers to squeeze off the extra paste Place the strips one at a time on the mold Smooth the strips with your fingers to remove any air bubbles and extra glue Crisscross the direction of the strips to create an even surface Completely cover the mold Set the base aside to dry This usually takes a full day Tip Paper-mache is messy Cover your work station with newspaper or a garbage bag 6 Tip When working with a balloon cut a hole in the middle of a paper plate Then pull the end of the balloon through the hole Use tape to hold it in place The balloon will stay upright while you work
Half-balloon mask base Paper-mache a balloon When it dries use scissors or a needle to pop the balloon Draw a line down the center of the mold lengthwise Cut along the line to make two halves Each can be used to make a mask Weaving When strips of paper or cloth are interlaced in a pattern the process is called weaving The horizontal strips go across over and under the perpendicular strips The finished weaving is much stronger than the individual strips ACCORDION Fold Fold the bottom edge of the paper up to the width you want your accordion folds to be Firmly press along the fold to crease it Flip the paper over so that the first fold is at the bottom and faces down on the work surface Fold the folded edge up until all of it is on the top surface Line up the original edge of the paper with the new edge then crease the new fold Continue folding like this until all of the paper is folded and creased Be prepared Read through the instructions and make sure you have all the materials you need Clean up when you are finished making your crafts Put away your supplies for next time Be Safe Ask for help when you need it Ask for permission to borrow tools Be careful when using scissors and needles 7
