DYI Paper Maché Tiki Head Decoration

In preparation for our Luau themed prom, I wanted to make a giant Tiki mask. Tiki masks have been carved out of wood since ancient Polynesia . While there may have originally been some connection with diety, since the 190's and '40's, these masks have been associated with tiki culture in movies and restaurants with themes inspired by South Pacific. 

I started the project with a seven foot piece of cardboard and drew a face on top using chalk. I drew inspiration on a wooden mask I bought at market in Tonga.  Then I took a bunch or large pieces of foam that had been used in packing some sort of appliance. (I didn't ask when the procurement person for our school dropped it off for me to make something with.  I used a box cutter to cut out the parts of a face, which I then hot glued to the surface, on top of the chalk lines. Other than a few bucks I spent in the laundry aile at 

Then came the tricky part of papier maché. I taught students how to tear newspaper top-to-bottom (with the grain) in 3 inch strips. My technique is to hold the end with my right thumb and pointer finger and lower it close to the surface of liquid starch in a bowl. Then I take two left fingers (pointer and middle fingers) to push the strip just below the surface, while raising the pinched end, allowing the entire surface (except for the tip) to be drudged through the liquid. Then I take the 2 fingers that had gotten wet, and use them like scissors to squeegie both sides of the strip, from top to bottom, dripping the access into the bowl.  Everyone wants to use their thumb and finger to do this because it feels naturally, but five or six attempts to evenly distribute the liquid and squeegie excess, don't work as effectively as one time with the two long fingers, gently squeezing downward. Sounds fussy, but you want to be efficient when making  something this size, and you want to use good craftsmanship no matter what size.

The foam was shiny and slick, which made it hard for the wet newspaper to stick to. We did the best we could and when it dried, I tucked some edges and corners to the foam and board with a hot glue gun, before adding more layers of maché.

Students painted the entire head with brown paint, and once it dried I added highlights with (mixing the underpainting brown with white) and shadows (mixing the brown with black). This made it feel a lot more dimensional and woodlike than the molded chocolate painted version. I think my students learned some good skills by helping me with this project, and I hope they get some good pictures at the upcoming dance, as well.

Large DYI Palm Tree Decorations

 

A new playground area at our school meant lots of cardboard tubes that the poles came in were lying in the ground. I knew when I saw them that our prom theme this year was going to be a Luau. Cardboard tubes from carpet rolls are also great for life DYI palm trees.

In order to get the "trunks" to stand on their own, I collected#10 cans and filled each half way with Quickcrete concrete and water. The tubes needed to be stuck in immediately (while the cement is still wet) and pushed down to the bottom. Paper packing tape can be used to wrap the can and the parts of tube with stickers or other un-trunk like areas.

Then, I folded green bulletin board paper to create a line of symmetry and cut out half a leaf on the non-folded side. I cut slits for the parts of the palm leaf.

My students helped straighten almost 100 metal hangers to use as stiff wire. I used green masking tape to attach the wire to the center of the leaf before curving it slightly.

I used a box cutter to make five slits at the top of the cardboard tube. A few inches was deep enough, The cardboard was so thick that just sliding the part of the wire without a leaf taped to it was enough to hold it in place. 1/3 to 1/2 of the hanger was down in the tube. Paper maché coconuts on ropes were added to some trees by sliding the rope into the slits as well. Hot glue or tape could work on the inside if the tension isn't enough to hold the top of the tree in place.

My students and I made 18 trees for about $18 worth of cement and tape. All the other supplies were donated cans, cardboard tubes, and hangers that were going to be thrown away, and bulletin board paper. I hope everyone gets the beach vibe the minute the walk into the room at prom. And if the one night doesn't seem worth the effort, I take comfort that these trees will also be used for the end of year, faculty party, and a child's jungle birthday after that.

Beach Party and Decorations to Die For

Every time Kim, our school media center specialist, asks me, "Do you want this empty laminator tube?" I hear the words, "Do you want a palm tree trunk?"  I was glad that I had accepted and saved those large tubes when I got the call to decorate a faculty party at the last minute. "Something summery" was the suggestion, so I went with beach theme on a shoe string budget. It is easy to borrow beach towels to cover all the book shelves, bring in a beach umbrella, and buy some sand buckets from the dollar store to and place foam sunglasses, crabs, flamingos, suns and surfboard, made from construction paper or craft foam and glued to dowels. A shark's mouth photo op was made from a discarded trip-fold board, and beach balls were placed around the room. Bulletin board paper cut into palm leaves were given structure by attaching aluminum wire to the bottom with green masking tape. Then the palm trees were placed into buckets or cans with sand or rocks around to hold it up.

 Two days later, I was invited to an Edgar Allen Poe themed murder mystery. I painted a raven for the occasion and each guest posed with it was they entered the dinner party.  The hosts had ravens and sculls in each room, black table cloths. With everyone's costume and a menu that included "crow pie" and "funeral potatoes" it was easy to stay in character and the evening was a lot of fun! Whether the party theme is a luau or murder, there are colors, costumes and little touches that can make the mood complete.