One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest

Spring was my mom’s favorite season and inspired the design of my paper mache shelf.  The shelf is hand made exclusively of paper mache and the birdcage is created from recycled wire.   After I created the shelf and birdcage, I assembled elements from my mom’s life that represent her passions.  To complete my sculpture, I used elements from mom’s life, including her baby photo. 

What I learned:  Thread does not photograph well.  I draped pink and yellow thread through the birdcage wires, but it was difficult for the camera to pick this up.  Next time, I’ll use a much heavier thread, perhaps embroidery thread.

As a side note to relatives:  I didn’t use grandpa’s cuckoo’s clock while making this piece.  I found a broken one at Value Village that I used.   

How to Make Your Own Paper Mache Shelf

I’ve been searching for a small vintage shelf for an assemblage piece I’m designing.  I’ve spent too much time looking for that perfect piece that was in my vision.  Then when I found a shelf that had the aesthetic I wanted, it was too expensive.  I had to come up with a new idea to get my shelf.  I decided to make it from paper mache.  After all, you can make almost anything with paper and glue.  Here are the pros:  I was able to make the shelf resemble the shelf in my sketch.  It was easy to make, light weight, and free by using paper and glue I already had.  It did take a few days to make it, but that was a small investment in time when compared to the time I spent shopping for a shelf.

After I finished the paper mache shelf, I painted it with brown acrylic paint.  I allowed the brown paint to dry and covered the shelf, section by section, with Folk Art Crackle Medium.  I followed the crackle medium with an off-white acrylic paint.  The beauty of this process is that the crackle medium camouflaged the paper mache finish.  I then glued scrapbook paper on the inside and have just started adding texture.

       Here's my first layer of texture I added to the scrapbook paper using a stencil  

The Power of Paper Mache

I’m a long-time fan of Paper Mache.  I think it’s simply amazing what you can create with just paper and glue.  I’ve also found a health benefit to Paper Mache. . . . it’s very relaxing.  I find it relaxing to build a sculpture one piece of paper at a time.  Perhaps the magic is that Paper Mache simply forces you to slow down and focus on creating.  When I’m working on a sculpture I can immediately feel the tension in my body decrease.  All my worries vanish. 

If you find yourself stressed-out or filled with anxiety, get out your paper and glue and start a Paper Mache project.  It might be just what you need.