Making "Kinder Surprise" from papier-mâché

One of the favorite treats for children is Kinder Surprise. Of course, it is not so much delicious chocolate that attracts a child as much as the secret hidden inside. And if you develop the theme of such a gift, you can fantasize about an even more interesting variation of the coveted chocolate egg. For example, papier-mâché crafts. The delight of the child for whom such a surprise is intended is guaranteed.

Probably, from school times, everyone remembers this technique of layer-by-layer gluing of paper, creating the shape of an object. But at school they made vases or Christmas tree decorations, and then the traditional technique was forgotten and few people considered it as creativity of great possibilities. And on the example of "Kinder-surprise" you can remember the past and be inspired by the spectacular result.

Useful for work:

• one balloon;
• 15-20 sheets of white paper;
• starch, on the basis of which the paste will be kneaded;
• paints;
• brushes;
• water;
• putty and plaster;
• sandpaper;
• stationery knife;
• preparation of the inscription.

Making a pseudo-egg begins by inflating a balloon. It will become the base on which the paper layers will be glued. For convenience, the inflated balloon can be placed in any suitable container. And the paper can already be cut into pieces.

Manufacturing stages.

• The adhesive can be done like this. 1 spoon of starch is mixed with two tablespoons of water. If more glue is required, the amount of ingredients is increased in the same proportions. The components are mixed so that the consistency becomes homogeneous.And half a glass of hot water is poured into this mixture. All this is put on fire, stirred continuously, until it thickens. Then the mass should be removed from the stove and stirred again. She will be ready when it cools down.

• The balloon is the base on which the paper fragments will be glued in layers. They need to be dipped in hand-made glue and the whole ball is evenly pasted over with them. To simplify the work, not to get lost with the number of layers and not create "bald spots", you can use different types of paper. For example, writing and notebooks in the box. So it is more convenient to see layer by layer, do not mix them, but gradually and evenly paste over the ball.

• Glue should be done as quickly as possible. The adhesive must be in working order and the layers must dry in parallel. Therefore, at this stage of making papier-mâché, pauses should not be made.

• There can be 3 layers on the ball in total. This is not a peremptory option, there may be more layers. The final layer should be the most abundant in terms of adhesive mass. To dry completely, the ball is left overnight in a dry and warm place. It is probably possible to speed up the drying process with a hairdryer, but even overnight everything dries perfectly in normal home conditions.

• After the ball has dried out, you need to remove the workpiece from the resulting cocoon. You shouldn't miss this moment. A hole is made in the cocoon, a ball is pierced with a needle. It quickly deflates and passes through the same hole. Then the cut, of course, will need to be glued. But since the workpiece is already strong, this is not difficult to do.

• Some masters finish the main stage of making a big "Kinder surprise" at this point. But this option assumes a more advanced technique, namely the use of plaster. It will become the primer that will strengthen the craft. You can use gypsum, you can putty - the task for the compositions is the same. And again, after this layer, the egg should dry.

This completes the main part of making the ball. But there are still two crucial stages ahead - the first is to paint the egg, and the next is to make a door in it. Yes, yes, because "Kinder Surprise" will not be just a decor, it can be used as an unusual container for a gift, in particular a sweet one.

The first layer is thick white paint. The next one will be the same white one. You can call it the background. Drying between layers, do not rush to apply the next one until the previous one is completely dry.

What to do next.

• After the white background has dried, you can pick up the pencil. It draws waves, and the lower part is painted red. It is on the trail of the waves. This should be done, focusing on the real design of the "Kinder Surprise". The red layer should dry.

• Once the paint is dry, you can proceed with the design further. And these are the inscriptions. It's great if you can just print them on a color printer - the work of the wizard is simplified, although the work is no longer entirely manual. But on the other hand, the egg will be close to maximum accuracy. If the lettering is printed and cut out, each word must be cut out separately and carefully pasted. If you glue the entire inscription at once, it is possible that the fragment will bulge. The lettering and pictures, also printed, are glued, smoothed and dried.

• Of course, completely hand-painted can be done. First a pencil sketch, then in color. All this can not be drawn directly on the egg, but done first on paper, and then, as in the printed version, cut and glue.

The egg is almost ready, but not functional yet. But in order for it to become a magic container for sweets, you need to cut out a door in it or make it like a box with an opening top. This is done arbitrarily: either the top is cut off (which is done most often), or the door is actually cut out.

The mount can be tape, or it can be magnetic. The second option is considered more convenient. Magnets are attached to the door, and on top again there are several layers of paper.

On the basis of the "shell" there will also be magnets, in parallel with those that are located on the door. Finish it up and make sure that everything is held securely, and there is no risk of non-closure.

And a few more useful tips for the masters.

• You can save not only the original inscriptions on the egg, but also supplement them with your own, but without changing the design style. For example, add the inscription "For Vanya" or "Best baby", in a word, something targeted and exclusive.

• Inside, the egg can be filled entirely with sweets, and this form of gift for the New Year or Birthday will surely surprise the child and will be remembered for a long time. At the same time, you can hide the main gift there - a doll, a small constructor, a soft toy, and so on.

• To make the gift look even more solemn, it needs to be wrapped. It is better to take transparent cellophane, wrap an egg in it, and tie it with a beautiful ribbon. The longer it takes to unpack, the more joyous anticipation. And it is precisely transparent packaging that is needed, because the child should immediately see a pleasant and familiar inscription.

• The package can be a little "perfumed" - some kind of eau de parfum water with a chocolate scent or an essential oil with a sweet scent. Several sensory systems will already be connected to the acquaintance with the gift, and even more pleasant memories will remain with the child.

After using the papier-mâché egg, you can “touch up” a little and apply further. For example, make it a place where little parental rewards for a child will go - he will be happy every time he finds them there.

A visual instruction on how to make a large Kinder surprise from papier-mâché can be seen in the following video