Making Tissue Paper Bowls

STILL SHOTS WILL HAVE TO DO FOR NOW
I know I need to start making videos of my art and craft escapades, and I will. But, for now I'm trying to document everything with still shots. And of course, in my creative frenzy I occasionally forget to take a pic of something before I destroy....I mean alter it.

ART and CRAFT CLASSES
I'm scheduled to teach a few Art and Craft classes at a couple of Senior Centers here on the Cape. I'm hoping to teach a couple of different bowl making classes. This is how I ended up playing with tissue paper bowls for a couple of weeks. And I'm glad I did, because even though there are many videos and blogs online showing "how to"...... I like to do things my own way and experiment with what will work the best....which for Seniors is fast and easy.

MAD ABOUT TISSUE PAPER
Not sure why I thought it necessary to put so much effort into it since I have an entire closet full of tissue paper.....but, I printed my own from some autumn leaf backgrounds I had just made. They were really cool looking. And yes, this is the photo I forgot to take! :( What is it about tissue paper that is so appealing? Is it its transparency, delicateness, color possibilities, or ability to wrinkle and make cool textural effects? Yes, to all of the above. I have been working with and SAVING tissue paper for a couple of decades. Because of this class that I may teach, I finally organized my stash by color and pattern!!

THE BOWL METHOD
So, I ripped up my beautiful autumn tissue papers....not into neat little strips, but willy-nilly because that's how I roll. Most of the "how to's" showed working with balloons, but I didn't have any balloons handy and I was on a mission, so I found some different sized bowls and covered them with saran wrap. If you use the bowl method, you have to use the saran wrap unless you want to glue the tissue paper permanently onto the bowl....which you might. I used the Elmer's glue recipe for this bowl (find below).

My autumn tissue paper glued over a bowl covered with saran wrap......drying

Done drying, now have to take saran wrap off bowl

Was really hard to separate....ripped tissue paper in a couple of places

Put a faux votive (never real ones!!) inside the bowl and took photo at night.....so pretty!

THE BALLOON METHOD
The balloon method is really quite simple and a lot more fun, I think. You can make the balloons whatever size you want....that's cool.....and then scotch tape the balloon to a big plastic cup. (see pic below) I learned that it helps if you put a rock or something heavy inside the plastic cup to keep it from tipping over. I only used the Elmer's glue recipe for the balloon bowls. Amazing! The bowl was perfectly shaped and super sturdy!

This is an 11" balloon that was not blown up all the way

I glued strips of painted paper towels onto the balloon just to show you what it would look like

GLUE MATTERS
I am not a novice when it comes to glues, but I'm not afraid to experiment and make big messes. LOL But, there's a glue for every project and I wanted to try a couple of different methods to see what worked best. I tried soft gel and Mod Podge (see pics below). It was harder to separate the saran wrap and tissue paper and although it's very sturdy, it almost feels like cloth....I didn't like the end result. But, you might, so don't be afraid to try it. I feel, hands down the old Elmer's glue recipe worked best....especially with the balloon method. Recipe: 3 parts glue - 1 part water - stir.

Either works, I prefer the clear.....save leftover glue recipe forever in a covered container

THE END RESULT
I'm very glad I tried these different methods and glues, because I always learn things. Everyone should have fun and experiment to realize what works best for them.

Here I used some cool "glitter" tissue paper my mom gave me - I learned you need something to support the bowl ... last picture is this bowl all finished

Bowl method: I used pieces of several different "Valentine-themed" tissue papers and Elmer's glue

Another Valentine-themed bowl - see how it looks different (and shiny) made with soft gel (gloss

This is my favorite ... I used Christmas-themed tissue paper AND Elmer's - look at the lovely shape!

Bowl Method: Used strips of jewel-toned paper and Elmer's ... see the difference in shape??