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Floaty Tissue Paper Delights
March 20, 2007 |
[-craft, kids-]
here’s a fun activity to do with or without your kids!
by Suze Corte
Spring is in the air, so we know you’re going to want to make some of these hanging delights to brighten your porch, balcony or sunroom.
This is a tried-and-true project that’s fun for children and adults of any age. We are giving away our secrets, here, so the least you can do is dig in and have yourself some fun! You have to let your project dry overnight before you complete it on Day Two.
So if you’re into INSTANT gratification, see Optionalities*.
Materials:
Yarn-any color
White glue (like Elmer’s)
Liquid starch
Bowl
One-inch brush
White tissue paper
Colored tissue paper-Spring colors, torn into random 2-5 inch shapes
Nylon fishing wire
Hole puncher
Scissors
Spray starch (optional)
Day One:
Cut off a long piece of yarn 14-18 inches for each Floaty Tissue Paper Delight. You’ll probably want to make at least three.
Tie the length of yarn together and knot it so that you have a circle of yarn.
Mix together in your bowl: 1 cup of glue, ¼ cup of liquid starch and ¼ cup water.
If the amounts are not exact, that’s okay. You can have tons of fun no matter how the mixture comes out.* If the mixture becomes lumpy, add more water and/or glue.
After you have your mixture the consistency of very heavy cream, you’re ready.
Lay out two sheets of white tissue paper on your worktable, one on top of the other. Drop your yarn circle into the glue mixture and coat it all over. Mix it around with your hands for sensory fun.
Take the yarn out of the glue mixture and plop it onto your tissue paper. It will be drippy and that’s fine. This is a messy project. Begin to form a shape with your yarn circle. Make a large shape, fairly simple, with lots of open space in the center of the yarn. It can be a heart, a nebulous shape, a bird, anything!
Once you’ve got your shape ready on top of the tissue paper, dip your brush into the glue mixture and very lightly brush glue onto the yarn and the surrounding tissue paper. If you brush too briskly or too much, the tissue paper will tear, so a light, springy touch is what you’re after.
Take your pieces of torn up colored tissue paper and lay them down onto your yarn circle, overlapping as you go. This is willy-nilly placement; don’t worry about being exact. The pieces can flop over the yarn onto the white paper; that’s perfectly okay.
As you’re laying out the colored pieces, dip your brush in the glue again and again and use a light stroke to make the paper stick. You can brush right over the top of all the tissue paper. If some of the paper tears, you can “mend” it with another piece of tissue paper.
When you’re done, there will be about two to three layers of tissue paper. Keep it light! Next, place two more sheets of white tissue paper on top of the colored layer. Brush over this lightly, as well. Make sure it’s all nice and sticky and gluey. Hang your creation up to dry. We use a drying rack and clothespins. It might drip, so put newspapers underneath to keep the floor clean. If you want to make this nice and stiff, you can apply some spray starch at this stage. Experiment!
Day Two:
Your tissue paper creation should now be dry. Cut around the shape just barely outside the yarn, cutting away the excess tissue paper. You will be left with your interesting shape ready to hang. Punch a hole in the top and hang with nylon fishing filament. Watch how your Floaty Tissue Paper Delight plays with the spring breeze! Make lots and hang them all over your special space!
Have fun and let us know how this turns out for you!
*Optionalities: If you’re really into sensory experiences, transform your glue mixture into “Gak” once you’ve made your Floaty Tissue Paper Delight. Just add more liquid starch until you start getting a solid mixture. It will be slimy and fun. This will wash off hands with soap and water and lasts if you store it in a sealable plastic bag. We hope you have loads of fun, and that playing with all of this frees up your creative spirit!
about the author: Suze Corte is a pre-school teacher with many years experience as an art teacher, primarily to young children. she is also an artist and writer and contributing editor to The PCQ. More of her artistry can be seen at her flickr photostream or click on Suze Corte in the tags to see all her PCQ posts.
Originally published in the April 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: inspiration
Suze Corte is a writer, artist and pre-school teacher in Houston, Texas. In 2007, she was chosen as be the Houston Area Association of Educator’s of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year and the Texas Association of Educators of Young Children’s Teacher of the Year. Congratulations, Suze! It is a well-deserved recognition.
also posted in: Art - process, craft, tutorials , Creative Parenting , How-to ... , The Original PCQ, 05-06 , Contributors , Craft
tags: activity, art, child, children, colors, colours, consistency, craft, crafty, creation, creative, delights, easy, experience, experiment, floaty, floaty tissue paper delights, fun, fun!, glue, hanging, kids, layers, mobile, play, process, sensory, shapes, Suze Corte, tissue, tissue paper, yarn
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What is your biggest creativity problem?too many projects at once can't get in the groove not enough time everything else takes priority self-doubts
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