Papier-Mâché Teacups Two Ways Project by Catherine Garmany

I used a teacup template I found online from Ann Wood Handmade for the general shape of the teacup and inspiration. I used heavy card-stock for the base with which to work from. You never know how many teacups you might want to make. These took less time than I thought and were a great deal of fun!

I could easily see myself doing something like this for a girl’s tea party (including the girls’ names on their cups) or a book club get-together (names of favorite authors or books included).

Materials:

• Teacup template
• Card stock (heavier weight paper should be used for this, it will make it much stronger)
• Glue
• Water
• Paints
• Stickers, buttons or other ephemera to attach
• Scissors
• Pencil

Papier-Mâché Teacups Two Ways Project Instructions

After you have cut out your templates bring all your segments together and tape them together. Make sure to tape both the inside and the outside of each section. This will help the teacup maintain its shape as you are applying the papier-mâché.

Attach the handle as you see fit. I decided to attach the top of the handle inside the teacup for more support. You could wait until your cup is dry and simply hot glue them to the outside of the teacup.

Once the teacup has been completely taped, press the teacup from the inside to help ensure a uniform shape. Go all around the teacup.

You can add a simple base to your teacup by cutting out a rounded circle from cardboard and taping/gluing it to the bottom. I chose to skip this process. I have seen others add fancy scalloped bottoms to their teacups. Get creative and see what happens. Happy accidents are the best!

I used pages from an old book that was damaged beyond repair. I tore up small segments of the paper, most about the size of the palm of your hand, some smaller. Have some pieces that are smaller than a quarter to work on the edging and small areas. Set them aside while you prepare your glue.

You can use wall paper paste or papier-mâché paste, but I had a large bottle of all purpose glue on hand and decided to use that. Keep in mind if you use wallpaper paste, it is toxic and you should use non-toxic glue like white glue when you are doing any crafts with children.

I used a four-part glue to one part water ratio and it worked out great! I found the paper dried fairly quickly. When applying the paste, make sure to squeeze excess off the paper using your fingers. The paper should be moist, but not dripping wet.

Although I did add a bit of papier-mâché to the handle, you could simply paint it or add glitter for decoration.

Once dry, I used a splotchy base coat of white. I wanted to make sure the printed page was still visible in the finished design. I then highlighted with iridescent blues and pinks. I used a silver paint pen around the top to add more detail with abstract scalloping and dot work.

I added the handle to the teacup while everything was still wet. That way, I was able to add additional layers over the top of the handle on the inside of the cup. This helps add strength to the overall design of the handle.

For the Halloween Teacups
I used iridescent white as a base on the inside and went over it with an iridescent orange. After painting a watered down black base on the outside of the teacup, I tipped it over and let gravity take over with drips cascading down the outside, reminiscent of blood drops.

Once the teacup was dried, I added imagery from Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ephemera Pack. I just used the glue paste to attach the images to the inside of the cup. I printed out the “Hocus Pocus” on my home computer, cut it out and adhered it the same way.

About the Artist
Catherine Garmany has a background in art and dabbles in watercolor, mixed-media, and assemblage art. She loves to figure out new ways to utilize objects. Catherine lives in Southern California with her husband and sons. She has recently launched her own blog at veryclevergirl.com.