The world in a bowl...

OK my lovelies, today I’m going to let you in on my secret to making magazine bowls.

You will need:
· Your chosen paper
· A Craft knife and protective mat
· Ruler
· PVA glue
· A clean flat surface
· A rainy day (optional, but you do need plenty of time and patience for this one)

Step 1

Choose what sort of material you are going to make your bowl out of. I’m using old Ordinance Survey maps in this example (10p each from a charity shop!) but you can experiment with all kinds of materials, glossy magazines are my favourite choice. Try not to use card or paper that is difficult to fold.

Step 2

Using your craft knife, cut the paper into strips of equal width. I find it easiest to use the width of the ruler, this saves you measuring each strip which would take forever. Cut as many of these as you can (around a 100–120 strips make a nice size bowl).

Step 3

Fold each strip in half twice vertically; making sure the printed side is facing outwards.

Step 4
Take one of your folded strips and apply a thin line of PVA glue all the way along one side. Now wind it round on itself forming a spiral. Keep winding more and more glued strips around to form the base of your bowl. It’s up to you how large you make the base, but bear in mind the diameter of your base will ultimately determine the size and shape of your finished bowl. Once you are happy with the size of the base, turn it upside down and paint a coat of glue on the bottom side and leave for a few hours (or overnight) to dry. This will add strength to the bowl.

Step 5

Once your base had dried, continue to wind glued strips around the outside. However, now you need to start building height gradually. The more gradual you make the increase the wider your bowl will be. Build up the height to whatever suits you.

And there you have it, you will finish up with a beautiful bowl to take pride of place!

Have a go and send me pictures of your creations!

Leah
x