Together! 2012

Disability Arts, Culture and Human Rights

Make a papier mache trinket tray with Kate Rolison

You will need:

Something to cover your table or work surface, such as a plastic table cover or newspaper.
A plastic tub or cardboard box to use as your trinket tray.
An old newspaper, magazine or brochure, plain flour and warm water to make your papier mache.
White paint (acrylic or poster paint work best).
Colourful poster paint or acrylic paint — I’ve used blue and red.
Paint brushes and something to mix your paint in such as an old jar lid or empty yoghurt pot.

: First of all, tear up strips of paper, about an inch long.

: Next, mix two handfuls of flour with the same amount of water. You can use a whisk or a fork for this. The mixture should be smooth with no lumps.

: When the mixture is smooth, dip in your pieces of torn-up newspaper one at a time, and lay them overlapping over the outside of your tray or cardboard box, all going in the same direction.

: Once you’ve covered the entire tray or box, add a second layer, but this time with the newspaper going in the opposite direction – so across, instead of along.

: When this layer is complete, leave to dry overnight, somewhere warm if possible. Now your papier mache tray has dried, it’s time to paint the white base layer all over the outside.

: Once again, leave it to dry. Then paint the inside of the trinket tray, and leave to dry. The final step it to decorate your tray, and then leave it to dry. I’ve mixed blue poster paint and some of the white acrylic paint I used to paint the base layer, and painted a blue sky design with fluffy white clouds peeking through from the base layer.

: I left the base of the tray plain white so that it wouldn’t take so long to dry and I could paint the inside, too.

Here are more Festival family activities for you to enjoy:

To find out more about our activities for families and young people, email kate@together2012.org.uk

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