Paper Mache Jellyfish
Ahria’s 4th birthday was Spongebob Squarepants themed… I was thrilled. Really.. No, but we did have a lot of fun making these Under The Sea themed.. I mean SPONGEBOB themed Paper Mache Jellyfish! They were a perfect addition to our Paper Lantern Jellyfish.
You will need:
Glue or Mod Podge
Balloon
Newspaper
Scissors
String
Crepe paper
Pink acrylic paint
Paint brush or Paint Sponge
A big bowl
Tape
Start by cutting the newspaper into 1 inch wide strips. I find 1 foot in length to work nicely. Blow up your balloon and set it upright on something like a small container or bowl to hold it still. The bowl will also catch some extra glue that drips. This isn’t really necessary but I found it to make the process a little easier and less messy -win win. Make your glue mixture. Pour some glue or mod podge into a large bowl. Add a little bit of water. Just enough so that the paste can evenly coat a piece of newspaper. You still want the mixture to be white. We actually added slightly too much water. It still came out okay though!
Dip each strip of newspaper into the mixture and coat both sides generously. Paste it onto your balloon. Do this for the top half of the balloon only. Make sure to cover every spot and overlap them. The more layers you do, the stronger it will be. We did about 3 layers.
When the newspaper dries, pop the balloon.
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I HATE balloons. I have an irrational fear of them popping but I REALLY wanted to suck it up and enjoy watching Ahria pop the balloon. I tried so hard!!! I got the camera, started videoing, pretended like nothing special was happening and said “Go ahead!” Next thing I know, I’m screaming and the camera is on the floor. It was pretty funny..
Now, start painting. Generally, I use washable acrylic paint with crafts but it tends to be thin. For this we used all purpose acrylic. A little tougher to clean, but a nicer end product. We did 2 thick coats.
When it dries, poke 2 holes in the top and tie string so you can hang it. Attach strands of crepe paper to the inside with tape. Crinkle each strand with your hands.
Tada! A big Spongebob, (Under The Sea) Paper Mache Jellyfish!
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