The beginning

If you discount the things you do at primary school, I started making papier mache projects properly in September 2009  with my first piñata. It was a butterfly for my eldest daughters 8th birthday (featured above with my two favourite people). I had to ask my mum and eventually google how to make papier mache.

I then got talked into making piñatas for a friends 30th and as decorations for another friends wedding, before getting pushed into trying to sell them. I figured they were so easy to make that I didn't understand why anyone would buy them. Back then they weren't so readily available in shops and most people hadn't heard of them.

I sold my first piñata on eBay for far too little! I was mostly making a point because I didn't believe they would sell. 

I have made hundreds of piñatas since then, been featured in magazines and newspapers and had all sorts of orders for various events including, weddings, for famous people and even had my work in galleries and on TV.

Recently I've been working on paper furniture, papier mache canvases and sculptures (or pulptures) rather than piñatas. Although I still have a fair few projects in storage and knocking around the house half finished which will now become part of Paper Reloved.

Finding enough paper to finish a big project is difficult, even when all of your neighbours and friends chip in with newspapers, egg boxes, bin bags of shredded paper, magazines etc. I also wanted to teach recycling in schools. I've run craft classes with adults and children before. And so the papersaurus poo project was born. We're still in the process of building it up. Everything takes longer and is wonkier than expected - but that's papier mache for you!

I will add more posts and pictures over time I wanted to get this set up and write a first post. A brief history seemed a good place to start. Especially when I'm trying to get everything relaunched under the banner of Paper Reloved.