DIY Papier-Mâché Pendant
Elevate your lighting at home with these pendants made from toilet paper. Yes, toilet paper!
Even I can’t believe I am saying that…ha. A couple of weeks ago I was reading the latest Real Living magazine and I came across a beautiful organic papier-mâché bowl. I was transfixed! I tore the page out of the magazine to put onto my inspiration board and when I grabbed it off my table, I was holding it upside down and out of nowhere I couldn’t help but think how beautiful this would look as a light pendant! I did some research and discussion with Jase, I decided to use toilet paper for this project - it’s easy to work with and inexpensive. Plus, I wanted to use paper that we all have at home. Random I know... I prepared a bowl of water, I grabbed a clean kitchen sponge, PVA glue, a wok and as they say, the rest is history! Read on to make your own DIY Papier-Mâché Pendant Light!
Project Details
🕒 Project Time Estimate: 30 minutes to make, a few days for drying depending on the climate
💰 Materials Cost: $10
👷♀️ Skill Level: Beginner
⚒️ Tools: A wok or a large serving platter
Materials
A wok
Cling film
2 rolls of white toilet paper
Bowl of water
Clean kitchen sponge
PVA glue
Scissors
Pendant light with a low LED bulb (I used a 7W low LED light bulb)
How To
Start by wrapping your work or large serving platter in cling film. Turn it upside down and apply one layer of toilet paper on to. Mix 2 parts water with 1 part PVA glue in a bowl. Dip the sponge into the PVA water then squeeze the drenched sponge all over the toilet paper. Apply another row of toilet paper on top and press it down using your hands. Squeeze more PVA water on top with the sponge and repeat until you have used up the two rolls of toilet paper. Set aside to dry.
When the papier-mâché pendant has dried, slowly lift it off the wok and flip it over. Carefully tear the edges to create an organic finish. Cut a small hole in the centre of the papier-mâché pendant and carefully push the light fitting through. Add the low LED light bulb and hang.
Ta daaaa! I can’t believe this pendant is made from…toilet paper!
It never ceases to amaze me what you can make with items you already have at home, and this one is definitely the OG. I could have used newspaper, white paper, brown paper or tissue paper for this project, but I had none of these at home so I used toilet paper and I am so happy I did! I was initially worried the imprint on the toilet paper would show but after that first squeeze of PVA water, it was apparent straight away that I didn’t have anything to worry about. This project has so many possibilities - you can make the pendant small or big, use other paper, shape it to your liking and even paint them! I am thinking stripes…
