Papier-mâché Eggs

Papier-mâché eggs will make a great centerpiece piled in a display bowl on your kitchen table. Papier-mâché or the old tradition of Cartapesta. Well not exactly like the art form of Cartapesta, but simply papier-mâché similar to what you might have done in elementary school. These eggs are made of paper newsprint and paper napkins, paint, decorative paper and pieces of forage and accented with a touch of jute. This set will bring farmhouse charm to your home decor. Use these decorative eggs to create a pretty spring display and then incorporate them into your daily farmhouse decor. 

Papier-mâché – Decoupage -Cartapesta

Call it what you want, this project started with strips of newsprint and strips of a paper napkin that is decoupaged onto a plastic easter egg. Wanting to evoke old-world charm and nostalgia, came the rest of the look. Added touches of white chalk paint and gold acrylic. All to add equal parts casual and chic with added sophistication of forage.

Creating Papier-mâché – Decoupage

Clear an area and gather the materials you’ll need to do papier-mâché. Papier-mâché can get a bit messy (like any DIY worth your time), so to protect your grandma’s beloved dining table, lay down a few newspapers or other scrap material to keep clean up at a minimum. While you are grabbing newspaper, also get a hold of a bowl or large container for flour and water to create a paste. This is if you don’t use Mod Podge, white glue.

Step 1 – Choose your napkin and separate the layers. You will want the thinnest layer to begin layering on the plastic egg. Decoupage napkins because it is easier and less expensive.

Step 2 – Tear the newspaper, or cut the napkins into long strips.

Step 3 – Begin with applying glue (Mod Podge) or flour paste to the plastic egg with a brush and add a strip of newsprint or napkin.

Start with a small amount of Mod Podge and add a small amount of water to thin it out.

This is the first layer of the napkin. I didn’t intend for this type of crinkled paper look, but when I said it gets messy – it gets messy. The paper sticks to your fingers so you need to work fast. In time, I came to embrace this look and just kept applying layers of napkin to get the look I was hoping for. Yet, I had to just go with this look. With multiple layers of napkin dry, I watered down some white chalk paint an applied for a more muted look.

Step 4 – When dry – Using a brush, I dry brushed gold paint on the egg and embellished with strips of torn paper, gold paint, twine, and or forage from my yard. All just to add variation and give an old-world feel.

Papier-mâché – Cartapesta 2024

Now my decoupage eggs may look a little messy to you, but for me they are imperfectly perfect! Papier-mâché eggs.

Papier-mâché Eggs 2023

These are the eggs that I created last year with flour, water, and newsprint. Similar embellishments and technique were then used as well.

Papier-mâché eggs, decorative eggs can be displayed in a wicker, wire basket or wooden bowl.

Place eggs in a decorative bowl or basket or tray with Spanish moss…

If French ‘brocante’ was a word in my vocabulary, this is would equate to English ‘Flea,’ market. In French it is more like secondhand market or junk shop. This is my kind of shopping! So, with that being said, I would hope to find my Rustic and Refound Easter eggs with their heirloom appeal at a one-of-a-kind Brocante market.