Hello everyone!

It’s been a while. I was engaged in family matters for quite a bit. Anyways, I have recently made something that is worth sharing with you guys and I hope you’ll learn from it.

First of all, my pastry supplier friend, Sherry, contacted me a week ago to tell me that we have a new dessert bar project due in 7 days. As always, I crammed to find the best princess themed designs and put them all into one great setup. The client gave a sample picture of the backdrop design she wanted which included rows of curtains and a gold frame with a letter in the middle. I became frantic when I saw the pic coz I did not have any styro or wooden frame like that so I searched online for a styro or wooden frame maker and luckily I found one at only Php800. But on the day of the meetup, I told him to send me a pic of the styro frame. I was surprised to see that it was not gold. It was just plain white styro. I debated with him regarding our previous conversation and even sent him messenger screenshots of it but still he asked for additional costs for the gold paint and delivery. To cut the story short, I cancelled my order and again searched online on what other options I had. There I saw this post of how to make your own paper mache frame: https://diaryofapmpmom.com/2015/10/27/diy-project-monicas-peep-hole-frame/

*credits to owner*

I read the article and made some changes because I needed a different frame shape plus I used cheaper materials to save on the budget. 😁

So here’s the whole process of making your very own paper mache frame:

MATERIALS:

*Board – depends on the size you want your frame to be and will be for the back portion of the frame

*Newspaper – full spreads folded into 5 that would produce long thick strips

*Manila Paper – cut/torn into small pieces (no particular shape or size but the smaller the easier to stick) to cover the newspaper

*Glue – I used Elmer’s glue diluted in water (glue must be twice or tree times the amout of water)

*Paint brush – bought a cheap one

*Scissors

*Optional: Paint – if you want to color your frame.

STEPS:

1. Draw or print out the frame you want to imitate. In my case, I opted to draw it myself.

2. Glue (not the one mixed in water) your folded newspaper on the lines of the frame. This part needs a lot of patience since the newspaper tends to unfold or have a mind of its own and won’t follow the lines. Cut off the excess newspaper.

3. When you finish gluing your newspaper let it dry for a few hours or until you’re sure that they won’t misalign again.

4. Using your glue and water mixture paint a portion of the newspaper and cover with manila paper. The more damp the newspaper and manila paper is the more that it will stick. Again, patience is needed in this process.

After finishing the first layer of manila paper, let it dry for a few hours or until dampness disappears.

Tip: Cut/tear a lot of manila paper in advance

5. Stick another layer of manila paper using your glue and water mixture. This is to cover up the black spots that may still be visible because of the newspaper prints.

Again, let it dry. Preferably overnight this time.

6. Since I needed a gold colored frame, I painted it with gold poster color. But if you want a rustic look you can just leave it unpainted.

And finally, the next pictures are from my dessert bar setup this morning and you’ll see how the finished product turned out.

Thank you for reading my latest blog. Hope you liked it. 😊

‘Til next time! 😘