Paper Mache Recipes

• Make the paste for papier mache using ingredients you probably already have at home. One recipe for papier mache requires you to mix equal parts flour and water, then add a few cups of boiling water to the mix. Stir the paste until it's smooth. If you don't have access to a heat source, you can use tepid water instead of boiling. Another option is to mix white glue with water. Use twice as much glue as water and stir until the mixture is smooth and slightly runny.
  
  

Decorations

• Instead of using a real pumpkin for a jack-o'-lantern, make a papier mache pumpkin instead. You'll be able to use the papier mache pumpkin year after year and it shouldn't cost you anything. Blow up a round balloon or use a cheap plastic ball. Make the paste and dip strips of old newspaper into it, then cover the ball or balloon with the strips. The papier mache should dry overnight. Paint it with poster paint. If you'd rather not make a pumpkin, you can try making a skull or spider. Shape aluminum foil into legs and attach to the sides of the ball to make a spider.
  
  

Trick-or-Treat Bag

• A papier mache trick-or-treat bag will last a lot longer than a reused grocery bag or trash bag and will look a lot cuter than carrying around a pillowcase when trick-or-treating. Make the bag by covering an empty, large cereal box with the papier mache glue and strips of paper. Have the trick-or-treater decorate the bag once it is dry with markers or paint. Make handles for the bag by poking two holes on the top sides and thread a piece of rope through the holes.
  
  

Hanging Decorations

• Turn a papier mache jack-o'-lantern or other Halloween decoration into a hanging decoration or even a pinata by poking two holes into it at the top. Loop a piece of string through the holes and hang from the ceiling or a hook on the wall. If you want the decoration to look as though it's floating on its own, use clear fishing line. To make a pinata, cut a hole in the top of the decoration and fill it before hanging.