Papier Mache is really easy to do, not very expensive – but a bit messy. Way back when I went to school we did piggy banks using a large balloon as moulds. I remember loving to mess with glue and paper scraps. As an adult I’m not too keen on the messy part but I had to let my daughter try it. Check out our mini piggies!

You need a small balloon, corks from wine and plastic bottles, newspaper scraps and wallpaper glue. If you have small children you might want to make your own papier mache paste, in case they put their fingers in their mouths. There are several recipes on the net.

1. First turn the balloon into a piggy mould. Cut the wine corks to the size of your choice and attach them as legs to the bottom of the balloon. We used double-sided tape to attach ours. Also tape the plastic cork on to the front as a snout. It’s already cute, isn’t it!

2. Make sure you cover your work surface, this is going to be messy! Then tear the newspaper into strips and dip them in glue. Place the stripes one at a time over the balloon and corks. The piggy should be covered. Make sure to remove air bubbles as you go along.

3. Make the first layer thin and let it dry completely. Then add another layer and let it dry. Our piggies have three layers but you can add as many layers as you like. When all the layers have dried, we painted our piggies using hobby paint.

This one got a heart as well! The ears are made of a bit of felt and it also got a twisted little tail.

Our piggies are too small to be piggy banks but we cherish them never the less. They where messy to make but we had a lot of fun. And in the end it’s all that counts, don’t you think!