If you have read the previous post, you will know that I am busy planning [...]]]>

Papier mâché has been one of my favourite crafts a few years ago but as is so often the case, crafts come and go and my period of paper mâché gave way to quite a few months of salt doughing.

If you have read the previous post, you will know that I am busy planning my granddaughter’s 4th birthday party.  While I was busy jotting down ideas for the table decorations and trying to come up with a way to make a tower, my eye caught the spaghetti tin on top of one of the kitchen cabinets and I suddenly knew that a tower made with paper mâché will be perfect!

Paper mâché is really one of those crafts that cost next to nothing to start out with, but the end results can be fantastic!  It is also an ideal craft to do for kids theme parties, as you can make masks, favour boxes, noisemakers, even favours like bracelets, earrings, small jewelery boxes,  small animals  and fearsome monsters from paper mâché. The very popular pinata is also made from papier mâché.

To make the tower for the Rapunzel theme party, I  use newspaper strips, a mixture of flour, water and wood glue and of course the spaghetti tin to form the shape of the tower. If all goes well it should be finished by the end of the week as the only drawback is the time it takes for the newspaper layers to dry thoroughly. I have to add at least another six layers of newspaper strips to make the tower sturdy enough to stand on its own.

I was going to make a little Rapunzel from salt dough but since Mia has a Barbie doll, maybe I will just use her as our “Rapunzel” for the day. Somewhere in her toy box there must be a prince as well…

It is not always necessary to buy new items for a kid’s theme party, you can use toys and other items in the house if it fits in with the theme of the party and sometimes you can even ask friends or family members to help out with odds and ends that you will need (as I am going to do in the case of tablecloths for this party).

Remember, imagination and  fun go well together when planning your kid’s theme party!