Easter Crafts: Papier Mache Easter "Eggs"

Papier Mache Easter "Eggs" are a fun take on the traditional Easter craft of dying real eggs! These "Eggs" are made with relatively few materials, and they are nearly fool proof. Although the process does take a full 2 days to complete, it is actually quite simple. Making Papier Mache Easter "Eggs" is a fun craft that anyone can enjoy, but it's especially fun for children. Papier Mache is actually just taking strips of paper and dipping it in a glue-like substance, and then putting them around an object (in this case a balloon in the shape of an egg.) The finished Papier Mache "Eggs" can be infinitely painted and customized!

The materials you will need to begin the process of making Papier Mache Easter Eggs are:

Balloons (you will need one for each egg you plan to make)
Flour
Water
White Glue
Salt
Newspaper (lots of it!)
Paint (Acrylic works best, and Pastel colors are very appropriate for this project.)
Paint Brushes
Gloves (to keep little hands from getting too messy!)
Plastic Bowls

The first step to making Papier Mache Easter "Eggs" is to make the paste. To make the paste you will mix flour and water in equal parts into a large plastic bowl until the mixture is smooth. Add a few tablespoons of salt to your mixture to keep your final masterpiece from molding. You can also add white glue to help your creation stick, but this step is optional and the craft will work perfectly fine without glue! The final mixture should have no chunky lumps, and should easily stick to paper.

The next step to creating a wonderful Papier Mache Easter Egg is to blow up the balloons into an egg shape. Make sure that the balloons look as much like an egg as possible, because their shape will determine the final shape of your art project!

Next comes one of the best part of project, ripping up the newspaper! You and your children should rip the newspaper into strips about 4 to 6 inches long. If you want a more even and professional application, you could cut the newspaper with scissors.