A Papier-Mache Basket

What You Need:

• Balloons
• Liquid starch
• Old newspapers
• Old cake or pie tin
• String
• Paper or plastic cup
• Colored tissue paper
• Can of flat white spray paint
• Jar of gloss medium and varnish
• Paintbrush

Step 1.

Instructions:

1. Tear newspapers into 1-inch-wide strips that are 2 to 3 inches long. Blow up the balloon and tie the end with an overhand knot.

Step 2.

2. Pour starch into the pie tin. Cover the balloon with newspaper strips that have been dipped into the starch. After the balloon is covered with this layer, add a second layer. Overlap the strips and completely cover the balloon, except for the knotted end. Tie a string above the knot of the balloon. Hang the balloon in a cool, dry area to dry overnight. Add more strips, if necessary, and let these strips dry.

Step 3.

3. Snip the knotted end from the balloon, let the air escape, and remove the balloon. Let the paper ball dry for a few more hours.

4. Cut 1 inch off the top of the plastic cup to use for the base. Cover the base with paper strips. Fasten the wide end of the base to the wide end of the ball with more strips. Cover the hole where you removed the balloon with strips. Let the ball dry.

Step 5.

5. Draw a zigzag line around the ball's middle to mark the top of the basket, and a pair of parallel lines over the top (the narrow end) to mark the handle. Cut out the enclosed areas to form the basket. Spray-paint the basket white. When completely dry, apply tissue paper.

TIP: Paint small areas of the basket with the gloss medium and varnish. Lay cut strips of tissue paper over the medium. Paint the medium over the top of the tissue paper. Cover all sides of the basket with the tissue paper. Let dry.