LATEST FUNKY MAMA

Well here is the latest in my "Funky Mamas". No. 3, Cheyenne, a Native American girl. I had a lot of fun creating her as I do with all my work. I created a suede fringe to edge her in, added some hand beaded earrings, feathers in her braids and she was born. These women are so much fun to create I can't wait to get started on another. She is for sale at my ETSY store or at my website Simply Art. I can also custom design them with specific nationalities, hair colors etc.

BEST PAPER MACHE RECIPE

As promised after a lot of experimentation, this is the best recipe I have tried for paper mache.

You will need:

- Water
- White flour
- Salt
- glue (I like using Welbond but you could use Elmers)
- Large mixing bowl
- Long mixing spoon
- Pot for boiling water


Directions:

Try to keep to the amounts below or increase by doubling.

- 1 litre luke warm water
- ¼ cup of table salt
- 1 litre flour
- 1 litre BOILING WATER

I sometimes add 'oil of cloves' (found at your local drugstore) as a preservative and a touch of bleach as an extra precaution to prevent mold. Keep in mind bleach can be very drying on the hands so have a good moisturizer handy!!

Stir salt (optional) and flour into lukewarm water until well mixed. Beat out all the lumps. Add the boiled water and stir quickly into four mix. At this point you can also add your 'oil of cloves' or bleach.
In the event you don't add bleach or oil of clove and some mold develops you can always wipe it down with either after completion.
The paste can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Let me know if you try out this recipe and how it works for you!!!!

PAPER MACHE ART

I admit I have become somewhat obsessed with paper mache. As an artist I love to try different mediums and paper mache gives me an opportunity to be very creative. Above was my first attempt at making paper mache figurines and believe me they were not as easy as I thought. However, being the type to just jump in there and not follow directions it is no wonder they came out a little bit crude. :)However, that didn't stop me from continuing on in this medium of art. Where else can you find an artform that costs so little to make and where you can create almost anything? And I mean almost anything. I have seen artists create furniture that held up for years and years with the same durability as wood. How impressive is that? So I went on to experiment further. Starting with simple things such as bowls, which just weren't exciting or creative enough for me.