adajohn010: food crafts made with paper mache

Showing posts with label food crafts made with paper mache. Show all posts

Monday, November 26, 2018

Craft a Yule Log Cake Candy Container

newblogger November 26, 2018 0 Comments

This chocolate Yule log cake isn't really a cake! It's a candy container made to order for our family's play room.
Above you can see that the painted, plastic lid is on the tray and the peppermint candies are falling out from the
inside of my candy container on the right.

      When my children were little, we often baked a special Christmas birthday cake for Jesus. Sometimes it would be fashioned into a tree or a yule log. One year, the birthday cake even resembled an entire forest of pines, dusted with powdered sugar.
       Parents and/or Teachers can help their young ones shape a candy container made to look like a chocolate yule log cake with the following supplies. Stuff it with candy treats and scriptures from the Nativity story if you'd like to start a new family tradition similar to our own.
       Natalie, my eldest, will be posting a lesson plan and contest giving away a lovely set of Christmas books about Jesus' birthday celebration, for little ones, in a few days. I will link to her here as soon as she publishes it. Below is the first of the two books she is giving away, read aloud at YouTube.

A Birthday Party for Jesus by Susan Jones

Yule Log Candy Container Supply List:

Run your fingertips across the ends of a toothbrush dipped in
white paint to create a snowy mist of powdered sugar on the
surface of your faux, chocolate yule log cake.

recycled cylindrical oatmeal can and potato chip can
masking tape
paper mache pulp
plastic fork, scissors
nail for poking holes and hammer
acrylic paints in brown and white
transparent glitter
white school glue
paint brushes
old, clean toothbrush (no longer in use)
wooden tooth picks
markers to color the printable pictures
dollar store silver cake platter

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Select a large recycled oatmeal can to be the primary yule log shape. Cut a second smaller potato chip can or juice can to cut down and tape to the larger part of the faux log as a cut branch.
Glue and tape the cut branches into place.
Cover the entire outside of the faux yule log with masking tape.
Leave the opening and plastic lid for the larger oatmeal can in tact so that the yule log may be used as a box for surprise presents/candy.
Mix together the paper mache pulp according to the directions on the package.
Apply the paper pulp to every outside surface approximately 1/2 inch in thickness.
Drag the prongs of a plastic fork through the covered surface to create a ''ribbed'' rough looking chocolate icing.
Let the paper pulp application dry. Depending on the weather this could take two days or a week.
Cover the entire outside surface of the dried yule log candy container with brown paint and let it dry.
Mix a bit of white into the brown paint and brush another layer on the raised surfaces only. Let the log dry.
Add the inside swirl of white vanilla cream to the ends of the log where it would normally show after someone would cut the jelly role cake in half. (see photos)
Now water down a bit of white paint in a separate dish.
Dip the toothbrush into thick white paint and thin dip it into the watery white paint.
Face the tips of the toothbrush away from yourself, pointing to the areas of the faux Yule log cake where you wish to lightly apply white sprinkles of paint. Move your fingers up and down the bristles of the toothbrush in order to wisp on a white mist of light paint. This should look just like the powdered sugar that is normally applied through a sifter onto the surface of a chocolate yule cake to mimic snow. Let the paint dry.
Apply a bit of white school glue to the areas of the faux cake that you want to sprinkle the transparent glitter.
Let the cake dry completely before gently pressing a nail or the sharp end tip of a pair of scissors through the top of the yule log. These tiny holes will be where you can insert the decorative picks after you have colored them.
I've included a sheet of tiny pictures below for children to color, cut out, and glue toothpicks to the backside of in order to decorate the top of their yule log cake, candy container. (see photos)
Don't forget to paint the lid of the candy container as well. Paint it to match the other ends of the yule log, with a vanilla swirl in the middle.

Left, select a large recycled oatmeal can to be the primary yule log shape. Center, cover the
entire outside of the faux yule log with masking tape. Right, drag the prongs of a plastic fork through the
covered surface to create a ''ribbed'' rough looking chocolate icing.

Left, cover the entire outside surface of the dried yule log candy container with brown paint
and let it dry. Center, Add the inside swirl of white vanilla cream to the ends of the log where
it would normally show after someone would cut the jelly role cake in half. I also glued on
a real pine cone for detail. Right, the paper mache pulp texture looks like chocolate icing to me!

Left, Move your fingers up and down the bristles of the toothbrush in order to wisp on a
white mist of light paint. This should look just like the powdered sugar. Center, I also painted
white snow on my faux chocolate pine cone. Right, the glitter gives the log even
more snowy appeal.

left, let the cake dry completely before gently pressing a nail or the sharp end tip of a pair of
scissors through the top of the yule log. These tiny holes will be where you can insert the
decorative picks after you have colored them. Center, The decorative picks are made from
the printable below and toothpicks. Right, now it's time to fill the Yule log candy container
up with Christmas candy!

Don't forget to paint the lid of the candy container as well. Paint it to match the other ends of the
yule log, with a vanilla swirl in the middle.

Above is a sheet of Christmas Clip Art for you to decorate a Yule Log Cake with.
Mount the pictures to the tips of wooden toothpicks with school glue. Poke them
through either a faux cake like ours or a real cake top to decorate for the holidays.

More Yule Logs and Christmas Cake Crafts:

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Crush & Craft Pretend Potatoes

newblogger June 26, 2018 0 Comments

Our pretend potatoes for the market stall.

Any child can craft pretend potatoes with very little effort! After your small one has mastered this easy craft, challenge him or her to sculpt something a bit more difficult.

Place fruits and veggies in on a table and have the him touch and explore the organic shapes and textures. Next ask him shape the aluminum foil into more advanced shapes such as carrots or turnips or maybe even a pumpkin.

Before you know it, you'll have plenty of veggies for an entire pretend veggie stand to play with!

Supply List:

aluminum foil
masking tape
brown paper bags
white school glue
Mod Podge optional
stapler
recycled netting from potato bag

Step-by-Step Directions:

Tear off large 12"x12" squares of aluminum foil.
Shape the foil into silver potatoes, you won't need to crush these down so much!
Leave the bumpy parts of the potatoes alone, when these are covered with brown paper, they will look more realistic.
Cover these shapes with masking tape.
Now cover the shapes with white school glue and shredded, brown grocery bags.
Let the pretend potatoes dry over night.
Save the netted bag that comes with your real potatoes at the grocery bag.
Fold, mask and staple some of the printed grocery bags to seal the pretend bag of potatoes inside of their very own netting. (photos of this process below)

Left, Shape foil into potatoes shapes. Middle, cover these with masking tape. Right,
Now cover the shapes with white school glue and shredded, brown grocery bags.

Cut, fold, tape, staple and trim the paper ends of your potato prop.

Cut the top handle of a brown grocery bag off, tape and staple the top end of the potato net into it as shown above.

Make More Pretend Foods:

# Dramatic Play in the Kitchen # food crafts made with paper mache

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Papier-mâché Two Delicious Pretend Pies!

newblogger June 20, 2018 0 Comments

My two fresh baked pies were hardened in the summer sun
and look good enough to eat!

Make a couple of delicious looking pretend pies to serve at a doll dinner party. I decided to shape a lattice top cherry pie and a simple blueberry pie from papier-mâché pulp for our playroom kitchen but you could make any pie you prefer from this old, familiar, classroom art supply.

Supply List:

round box with both the top and bottom
papier-mâché pulp (small pack)
masking tape
brown paper bags
white school glue
Mod Podge or clear acrylic sealer
acrylic paints: reds, browns, purple
paint brush (stencil brush is optional)
newsprint

Step-by-Step Instructions:

You will need a small round box container for this project. Something tossed our from the grocery store will be fine. I kept a brie cheese container for my pies. The container should be clean and dry, with no food residue.
Open the box and keep both sides face up. Crumple some newsprint and add this to the openings. The newsprint when wadded will create an uneven surface which is good. The more berries you have in a pie, the more uneven the surface will look. This newsprint will act as the filling for our two pies and will support the papier-mâché pulp tops as we sculpt.
Cover or mask both open faced "pie" shapes entirely with making tape. Sealing off the top of the pie shells with the crumpled newsprint inside.
Shred the flimsy, paper bag paper into random shapes to apply with glue onto the both halves of our pretend pies. This step strengthens the sculpted forms.
After covering the surfaces of the filled pie shapes thoroughly with the brown paper bag layer, apply a layer of Mod Podge. Let dry.
Now mix the papier-mâché pulp according to the directions. Start the process by adding only a little bit of water at a time, gradually working the pulp into a slightly stiff clay. Do not add all of your pulp into a bowl at once and mix. It only takes a handful of pulp to sculpt each pie top. If you need more, you can mix it as you go. The pulp may be layered and it will adhere to it's own surface.
Now you may shape this pulp on top of the bumpy pie surfaces only. Don't worry about whether or not the surface is applied evenly. Papier-mâché pulp is a very forgiving material and pies are lumpy on top anyway. So just sort-of apply approximately 1/2 inch of the sticky stuff to the entire surface of each pie.
If you are a beginner, you will start by shaping the blueberry pie shown on my posting here. It has a simple, uniform surface with only a few finger holes on the top to reveal its purple juices after painting.
Shaping the cherry pie with a lattice top may prove to be a bit challenging for beginners. I did not make it with strips of pulp! I shaped the lattice work and pulp balls directly onto the top. Applying more white glue to ensure that the fake cherries stayed in place during the drying time. If you should take up this challenge, do not worry if you need to reattach cherry shapes a second time after letting this pie sculpture dry. (See photos below)
Shape the edges of your pies just as you normally would when sealing the edges of a real pie. You can do this with your finger tips or a plastic fork if you like. ( How to make decorative pie crust. )
Now set these papier-mâché pulp pies in the hot sun for baking... The hotter and sunnier outdoors or on a window seal, the better! It may take a few days for the pulp pies to harden up.
Paint the tops of your pies using quick drying acrylic paints. Mix up several variations of browns so that you can apply these randomly as you work. A stencil brush may help the process for those of you who have never painted a surface like this before.
It helps to observe a real blueberry or cherry pie while painting your own. Prepare to get hungry!
After painting the pies let them dry thoroughly in the sunshine.
Apply the acrylic sealer to the tops of your finished pie masterpieces. Let these dry again before serving them up to your doll companions.

Left, You will need a small round box container for this project. Center, The newsprint when wadded will
create an uneven surface which is good. Right, Cover or mask both open faced "pie" shapes entirely with
making tape.

Shaping the cherry pie with a lattice top may prove to be a bit challenging for beginners.

More Pie Crafts:

I used Mod Podge to seal the lower half of each pie.
Brown paper bags were used to craft the pie crusts on bottom.

What the papier-mâché pies look like after drying in the hot sun.


Cherry pie and blueberry pie cooling on the stove top after baking in the pretend oven, as seen from above. Read about the play oven and stove-top, DIY here.