Above: Sample of marbled paper made by Mizu Sugimura using caliigraphy inks on a shaving cream base. Photo copyright Mizu Sugimura 2007 .
(This blog was originally posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 at a reader-generated site at The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA.)
Note: in connection with a recent blog on how to make a paper dollhouse from a corrugated cardboard box and decorate with recycled castoffs from what you have at home, for parents looking for ideas on how to entertain the kiddies during the winter break, I offer a yet a second idea. Decorate your own paper! We've all used crayons, some of us have done potato printing and printing using stamps made from styrofoam meat liners. But have you raided the bathroom cabinet for one of the best paper decorating ideas of all - grab that can of shaving cream!
Yes, with a can of shaving cream preferably unscented for the picky noses in your family, medicine droppers and a few bottles of colored ink (rubberstamp pad ink, calligraphy ink, etc.) your kids can make marbled paper to rival the finest gift stores. See the examples shown below for ideas. Two of the sheets included in this article were made with this very same technique.
Above: This paper is actually a bleached paper coffee filterl dyed with food coloring by Mizu Sugimura. Photo copyright by Mizu Sugimura, 2007.
Take a cookie sheet and spray liberally with a layer of shaving cream. Take your eye dropper(s) and load up with your favorite colors of ink and drop liberally. In order to make the marbled patterns, before dropping a sheet of paper horizontally over the whole mess, take a fork and make some swirls here and there. (You'll learn by doing how much and where.)
When you're ready, drop a sheet of white paper over the shaving cream and ink mixture so it just touches the top of the whipped shaving cream. You won't need to press it in or anything like that. Pull the paper up and out. It will be covered with a layer of shaving cream. Scrape off the shaving cream with a dull table or butter knife. Let the paper dry. Voila! I'd be delighted to hear from anyone who tries this. Your kids will have a blast!
Two other sheets of decorated paper which are pictured in this article were decorated by dropping food coloring on a coffee filter and painting with liquid acrylic paints with a piece of cardboard (forming your brush) on a piece of watercolor paper. All four papers could be fun and easy ways to make the decorating fabric needed for covering the walls and furniture of the dollhouse mentioned earlier. They also make great backgrounds for cards or scrapbookers which is where I cribbed the original idea.
Above: White cardstock provides the base for this piece of marbled paper using shaving cream and rubberstamping inks. Photo by Mizu Sugimura copyright 2007.
Above: Photo of art paper made by Mizu Sugimura applying liquid acrylic paints with a cardboard "brush' on watercolor paper base. Photo copyright Mizu Sugimura, 2007.
As any beleaguered parent is aware - even five minutes of peace at the end of a long holiday school break can be priceless! No need to feel guilty about parking the tots in front of another video. Get out these common household items and start making your marbled and decorated papers tonight!
No comments:
Post a Comment