Arnold Grummer's Design Team Blog

These cute little guys were paper-cast using a silicone mold. Although there are some imperfections, I'm very pleased with their final appearance. They are not fragile, and after being painted and sealed, any fiber strays are tamed. I haven't decided if they're going to be ornaments or magnets, or both! The back is half hollow, so it's easy to pierce through the top and add a hanging ribbon or thick thread, (the middle one has a hanger). Yet, they are shallow enough to accommodate a circular magnet. SUPPLIES: Arnold Grummer Paper Making Kit Cotton Rag Fiber  - Arnold Grummer Silicone mold, Owls-Tovolo (each owl is 2.5" h x 1.75" w) Acrylic Paint - pumpkin, sunflower, waterfall, lime yellow, black Clear glossy sealant spray - Krylon INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Create paper pulp with shredded scrap paper and  Cotton Rag Fiber . 2. Drain excess water from the pulp while putting it into the silicone mold. Use a dry cloth to push the pulp firmly down into the ...

Whew - you made it through  the holiday week! Now it is time to recoup and if you are like me, you pledge to get started earlier next year. So why not start now!! Grab that leftover wrapping paper, recycled paper and other scraps you have been saving. Time to start on ornaments for next year!! Make some paper! I used my handmold and made a couple of sheets of paper. My pieces had flowers in it. For this project I glued them to a piece of cardboard. A cereal or cracker box is the perfect weight and again, you are recycling!! Cut into squares of different sizes - 1 inch, 1 1/5 inch and 2 inches. You will need about 4 -  6 of each. Brush the edges with glue and sprinkle with glitter.   Punch a hole in the center of each using a small hole punch.  I added beads to the bottom of the wire then started threading the squares largest to smallest. I added a star bead to the top. And here is my finished ornament . It looks just like a little t...

These little paper casted ornaments are truly easy to create.  Process  five  cotton linter   squares  for each ornament.  The art molds used were:  Snowman  #707,  Bird  #712,  Three Trees  #706, Snowflake. Check out this  link  for instructions on "how to cast paper". After casting the designs and before drying the casting completely, I used a straight pin to pull away pulp from the edges to give them a feathered look. Using balsa wood, because of its light weight and easy of cutting, make four squares that measure 3" x 3".  Sand the edges smooth and sand the four corners to make them round. Cut squares to the same size from a glitter cardstock.  Use a corner rounder punch on each corner.  Adhere the glitter cardstock to the balsa wood squares with a double sided adhesive, like Therm-o-web PeelnStick.  NOTE :  Water base glues could warp the balsawood.   Glue t...