**Making Memories with Paper Mache**

As I sit amidst my latest paper mache project, a pendant lamp that I created out of recycled materials, I am reminded of the joy and satisfaction that comes from creating something with one's own hands. It is a feeling that is hard to put into words, but it is one that I have grown to love over the years as I continue to experiment with this medium.

**A Family Heirloom**

Among my paper mache creations, there is one piece that stands out to me - a photograph of my mother from the 1970s. It was taken on the back of her new bike, and she had written "I tried to smile but the sun was in my eyes" on the back of the photo. I find it quite charming, and it brings a smile to my face every time I look at it. I have framed it, of course, to protect it from damage, and it now sits proudly in my studio.

**Invasion of the Porcelain Berry Vine**

I have always been fascinated by the invasive porcelain berry vine that grows in my hallway. It's as if it has a mind of its own, creeping into every nook and cranny. I decided to create a paper mache version of it, which has become one of my favorite pieces. Not only does it provide a fun challenge for me as an artist, but it also serves as a reminder to appreciate the beauty in everyday life.

**The Art of Paper Mache**

As someone who loves American music from all eras, I fell in love with these paper mache creations because they evoke a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality. They remind me of my grandmother's sewing skills, which she taught me when I was young. I spent many hours practicing and perfecting my craft, eventually creating patterns for pants that fit perfectly.

**Palm Pants: A Labor of Love**

One of my proudest creations is the palm pants pattern, which has become a favorite among crafty folks. These pants are designed to be comfortable and flattering, with a side zip detail that adds a touch of sophistication. I love sharing my patterns with others, knowing that they will bring joy and satisfaction to those who wear them.

**My Studio: A Creative Sanctuary**

When it comes to creating art, there is no better place than my studio - a space where ideas flow freely and creativity knows no bounds. From the bulletin board that displays inspirational quotes and notes to the array of materials that I use for my paper mache projects, every inch of this room is dedicated to artistic expression.

**A Tribute to Rex: My Favorite Dog**

During my time at an organic farm in California, I met a dog named Rex who stole my heart. He was a lovable mutt with a mischievous streak, and I decided to create a paper mache puppet of him as a tribute. The result is a charming piece that captures his playful spirit.

**From Sewing to Paper Mache**

As someone who has always been passionate about sewing, it's natural that I would turn to paper mache as a way to express myself creatively. From designing patterns for pants to creating intricate paper mache sculptures, I find joy in the process of bringing my ideas to life.

**Sharing My Passion with Others**

One of the things I enjoy most about making art is sharing it with others. Whether it's through video tutorials or in-person workshops, I love teaching people how to create their own paper mache projects. It's a way for me to connect with like-minded individuals and inspire them to try something new.

**Home Tours: A Sneak Peek into My Creative World**

As the owner of Handmade, I invite you to take a tour of my studio and see firsthand where the magic happens. From my paper mache pendant lamp to my collection of inspirational quotes, every piece tells a story that I am eager to share with you.

**A Life of Creativity**

In conclusion, making art is a way of life for me. It's a journey that brings me joy, satisfaction, and a sense of fulfillment. Whether it's paper mache or sewing, I am constantly inspired by the world around me and the people in my life. As you explore this article, I hope you will be inspired to try something new and discover your own creative voice.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi my name is corey and welcome to my handmade home in brooklyn new york i have been making since i was a very young kid currently it's paper plants which you'll see around the house um paper mache objects for the home like buzzes and lamps and trays and then also i've been doing sewing so uh i've been making lots of pants trousers i only said trousers because uh every time i say pants someone from the uk's is like roasts trousers my grandmother taught me how to sew and make quilts and i also used to make lots of drawings portraits you know on road trips my brother and i would sit in the back seat and he would read hearty boys and i would sit there with a yellow roll notepad and just draw and draw and draw and draw so i've it's always been my passion this place i moved in 10 years ago and so some things are exactly the same as they were 10 years ago but adding different things has just happened gradually sometimes just because i just follow my nose and i get excited about a different technique or skill that i want to learn and it's hard for me to part with things and so i'm like well if i move this little bit i'll just shove this new thing right here and work out working with paper was something that i picked up from my day job one of the projects i had to do many years ago was make a life-size baby giraffe out of craft paper you know the brown paper and i was like oh this is like a cool mini you know never occurred to me before this is a cool medium to make sculpture with because it's inexpensive and it's ubiquitous and it's easy so this living room here it doesn't get any direct light so i can't have any house plants in the living room and i really wanted a fiddly fig which everybody you know was crazy about fiddly figs you probably remember so i made one from paper and it was just sort of an addictive process and just kept making more and then yeah yeah that's how it happened you know my methods for making the paper plants have evolved over time so this one's like a little more cartoony but yeah this is the beginning the first few were a little more stylized and then just by doing a bunch of them i i started to see that they were becoming slightly more realistic looking this we have ornamental yam begonia and a pitcher plant paper of course cordline that one's called it's smaller i think the the real one is a bigger experience this is a paleya a begonia i love bagans you'll see lots of begonias in the apartment this is a shiraz maple which changes color throughout the season and then it has a moment when it is pink i don't know if it's quite this hot pink but with paper you get to take a little liberties so i've captured it at that moment in time so that's kind of fun mother nature's just like always giving us inspiration so i think i'll probably never run out of things to make with the paper plants especially with the onions i really like the colors i have a medium paper oxalis and a cloche that is just an ikea cloche but i painted the base oh here's my book handmade house plants came out 2018 but it's available wherever books are sold i started putting the paper plants online social media and then the publisher reached out timber press and wanted to make a book i really enjoyed it really you know some of the plants before the process you know i'd already made them and then in the process of making the book i had to invent new ones and so um from here we were about 15 minutes to the brooklyn botanic garden so it's like one of my favorite haunts to go and find real inspiration in real life some things i may have been rare oh gosh like back in the day you couldn't find a pailia which is what this one is it was like kind of a precious special thing and so that was one of the early ones i started making from paper just so i could have it but now you know like seven years later they were literally at the corner store grocery out front they have a little plant section and they have them times change so one of the favorite paper plants that i've made is called rex begonia vine i just really love the pattern on the leaf and so at some point i painted the vines on the table that one is called an epimedium i believe maybe that one is like pink lady something that one that one is called that one is a sweet potato vine it does have a specific name i forgot what it is i remember the names but i have made dozens of these plants i don't always remember the exact name it takes me a minute sometimes and then or then it's a thing where i have read it and then i'm like i don't know how to pronounce it because i've only ever read it but this one not in this case now this one is called a ornamental sweet potato vine based on the real thing paper of course the rex begonia vine you'll recognize from the table and oh here we have sassafras these two little things are sassafras so this is a very simple one to make it's in the book so like for a beginner project it's pretty easy but i happen to like this plant because um the roots make revere this is actually an invasive which is kind of a good reason for it to be made from paper it's called porcelain berry vine look i didn't even trip over at that time i said the name this is tapioca and another sweet potato vine and these are some paper mushrooms um these were in better homes and gardens paper mache tray okay so a bunch of years ago i don't know maybe 10. i did a project for my job and i made some paper mache cactus and it was really fun and i thought oh this i like this but i wanted uh less like sculptural things and more objects for my home so the first thing i made was a tray just a simple cardboard tray that i covered with layers of newspaper and glue and then painted it with acrylic paint going on like seven eight years ago so she hanging in there this is called solar eclipse plant yes this one i actually made using a silhouette cameo machine you know it's like kind of like an old school printer it goes in rare and then it cuts it so i made the files and then cut it on the machine this time just because it has this like serrated edge paint and gel pen and a lamp i made um again out of paper mache pendant lamp another paper mache project oh in this frame no surprise is another paper mache project but this is a picture of my mom that i really like from the 70s and she has just got a new bike and on the back her beautiful handwriting says i tried to smile but the sun was in my eyes and i don't know i just think this is kind of funny another paper mache i think this is maybe one of the early ones i made and the plant is a i have it i have it it's a drink it's a cocktail with mint no mojito this is an elephant ear mojito okay so this one exists in a big urn at the brooklyn botanic garden so this is an instance where i literally walked past the real thing and i was like look at those splatters look how magical then i had to make it and this is the same invasive porcelain berry vine from that i also you know stuck in the hallway she's just creeping around she keeps invading everywhere this one is kind of fun because um i made it specifically so that if i wanted to do a floral arrangement nothing's going to get ruined so that works out well actually this one is uh the same made to have just a three inch cylinder inside so flowers i just think it's fun because you don't you just take trash cut it up cover it with paper mache paint it thing new thing okay so i have there's an entire set i think there's five of them but prints by the artist uh martin mizora i'm such a fan of american music of all types from old dirty bastard to laurel and really all types of american music so uh i fell in love with these because i love that era of country music probably my proudest thing and it's just because it's sentimental and it's also not just the object but the process of making that is when ryan and i first started dating we decided to make cigar box guitars together like third date through sixth date kind of thing so he's a lefty so this is his and um this is mine um they still work i probably like my studio table the best you know there's nothing fancy about it but that's where i sit and do my work and have ideas so of course with the paper plant making i use tons of floral wire massage tape or floral tape markers and pens and gel pens and colored pencils uh fun stuff um my bulletin board which is just like always changing and i just randomly pin stuff up there there's my little crush corner over there we got johnny cash and hank williams and donald glover and memphis minnie oh this one is kind of fun it has a funny name um it's called sweet caroline bewitched after midnight that whole thing yeah it's a it's a sweet potato vine there's so many you know it's kind of cool to make them out of paper because they typically only last in the summer you know that's the one everybody puts in their planter boxes and the windowsill sweet potato vine so some years ago i left new york and i went to um work on our organic farm in california i spent the season there and there was a dog called rex best dog so at some point i made a little paper puppet of him and i wrote a little song about him i'm going to show you rex because he's very cute there is an old dog he's our favorite mutt but he tears through the garbage and he follows our truck he's a filthy old dog and he likes to run but if you go on after him he's doggone it gone i just did it anyway even though i knew it was going to be embarrassing i just did it anyway yeah so i like i mentioned before my grandmother taught me how to sew when i was pretty young and so i've always been sewing and then over 20 20 stay-at-home times i really just buckled down and designed pants that fit me which so many people know that buying pants especially off the rack is like sometimes terrible there's always fit issues so i came up with the andrew pants and put them on the internet and people like them so now there's a pattern a sewing pattern for people to make palm pants polka dots can't go wrong with polka dots this one has a side zip but these are my frida kahlo pants obviously you gotta love fritta i enjoy figuring things out whether it's pants or pig plant or whatever i really enjoy the process and once i've gone through that i also find it enjoyable to back up and then figure out a way to teach it to other people or just share so trousers like this video and subscribe to handmade for more home tours just like this okay i don't know if i've ever spoke like that in my life youhi my name is corey and welcome to my handmade home in brooklyn new york i have been making since i was a very young kid currently it's paper plants which you'll see around the house um paper mache objects for the home like buzzes and lamps and trays and then also i've been doing sewing so uh i've been making lots of pants trousers i only said trousers because uh every time i say pants someone from the uk's is like roasts trousers my grandmother taught me how to sew and make quilts and i also used to make lots of drawings portraits you know on road trips my brother and i would sit in the back seat and he would read hearty boys and i would sit there with a yellow roll notepad and just draw and draw and draw and draw so i've it's always been my passion this place i moved in 10 years ago and so some things are exactly the same as they were 10 years ago but adding different things has just happened gradually sometimes just because i just follow my nose and i get excited about a different technique or skill that i want to learn and it's hard for me to part with things and so i'm like well if i move this little bit i'll just shove this new thing right here and work out working with paper was something that i picked up from my day job one of the projects i had to do many years ago was make a life-size baby giraffe out of craft paper you know the brown paper and i was like oh this is like a cool mini you know never occurred to me before this is a cool medium to make sculpture with because it's inexpensive and it's ubiquitous and it's easy so this living room here it doesn't get any direct light so i can't have any house plants in the living room and i really wanted a fiddly fig which everybody you know was crazy about fiddly figs you probably remember so i made one from paper and it was just sort of an addictive process and just kept making more and then yeah yeah that's how it happened you know my methods for making the paper plants have evolved over time so this one's like a little more cartoony but yeah this is the beginning the first few were a little more stylized and then just by doing a bunch of them i i started to see that they were becoming slightly more realistic looking this we have ornamental yam begonia and a pitcher plant paper of course cordline that one's called it's smaller i think the the real one is a bigger experience this is a paleya a begonia i love bagans you'll see lots of begonias in the apartment this is a shiraz maple which changes color throughout the season and then it has a moment when it is pink i don't know if it's quite this hot pink but with paper you get to take a little liberties so i've captured it at that moment in time so that's kind of fun mother nature's just like always giving us inspiration so i think i'll probably never run out of things to make with the paper plants especially with the onions i really like the colors i have a medium paper oxalis and a cloche that is just an ikea cloche but i painted the base oh here's my book handmade house plants came out 2018 but it's available wherever books are sold i started putting the paper plants online social media and then the publisher reached out timber press and wanted to make a book i really enjoyed it really you know some of the plants before the process you know i'd already made them and then in the process of making the book i had to invent new ones and so um from here we were about 15 minutes to the brooklyn botanic garden so it's like one of my favorite haunts to go and find real inspiration in real life some things i may have been rare oh gosh like back in the day you couldn't find a pailia which is what this one is it was like kind of a precious special thing and so that was one of the early ones i started making from paper just so i could have it but now you know like seven years later they were literally at the corner store grocery out front they have a little plant section and they have them times change so one of the favorite paper plants that i've made is called rex begonia vine i just really love the pattern on the leaf and so at some point i painted the vines on the table that one is called an epimedium i believe maybe that one is like pink lady something that one that one is called that one is a sweet potato vine it does have a specific name i forgot what it is i remember the names but i have made dozens of these plants i don't always remember the exact name it takes me a minute sometimes and then or then it's a thing where i have read it and then i'm like i don't know how to pronounce it because i've only ever read it but this one not in this case now this one is called a ornamental sweet potato vine based on the real thing paper of course the rex begonia vine you'll recognize from the table and oh here we have sassafras these two little things are sassafras so this is a very simple one to make it's in the book so like for a beginner project it's pretty easy but i happen to like this plant because um the roots make revere this is actually an invasive which is kind of a good reason for it to be made from paper it's called porcelain berry vine look i didn't even trip over at that time i said the name this is tapioca and another sweet potato vine and these are some paper mushrooms um these were in better homes and gardens paper mache tray okay so a bunch of years ago i don't know maybe 10. i did a project for my job and i made some paper mache cactus and it was really fun and i thought oh this i like this but i wanted uh less like sculptural things and more objects for my home so the first thing i made was a tray just a simple cardboard tray that i covered with layers of newspaper and glue and then painted it with acrylic paint going on like seven eight years ago so she hanging in there this is called solar eclipse plant yes this one i actually made using a silhouette cameo machine you know it's like kind of like an old school printer it goes in rare and then it cuts it so i made the files and then cut it on the machine this time just because it has this like serrated edge paint and gel pen and a lamp i made um again out of paper mache pendant lamp another paper mache project oh in this frame no surprise is another paper mache project but this is a picture of my mom that i really like from the 70s and she has just got a new bike and on the back her beautiful handwriting says i tried to smile but the sun was in my eyes and i don't know i just think this is kind of funny another paper mache i think this is maybe one of the early ones i made and the plant is a i have it i have it it's a drink it's a cocktail with mint no mojito this is an elephant ear mojito okay so this one exists in a big urn at the brooklyn botanic garden so this is an instance where i literally walked past the real thing and i was like look at those splatters look how magical then i had to make it and this is the same invasive porcelain berry vine from that i also you know stuck in the hallway she's just creeping around she keeps invading everywhere this one is kind of fun because um i made it specifically so that if i wanted to do a floral arrangement nothing's going to get ruined so that works out well actually this one is uh the same made to have just a three inch cylinder inside so flowers i just think it's fun because you don't you just take trash cut it up cover it with paper mache paint it thing new thing okay so i have there's an entire set i think there's five of them but prints by the artist uh martin mizora i'm such a fan of american music of all types from old dirty bastard to laurel and really all types of american music so uh i fell in love with these because i love that era of country music probably my proudest thing and it's just because it's sentimental and it's also not just the object but the process of making that is when ryan and i first started dating we decided to make cigar box guitars together like third date through sixth date kind of thing so he's a lefty so this is his and um this is mine um they still work i probably like my studio table the best you know there's nothing fancy about it but that's where i sit and do my work and have ideas so of course with the paper plant making i use tons of floral wire massage tape or floral tape markers and pens and gel pens and colored pencils uh fun stuff um my bulletin board which is just like always changing and i just randomly pin stuff up there there's my little crush corner over there we got johnny cash and hank williams and donald glover and memphis minnie oh this one is kind of fun it has a funny name um it's called sweet caroline bewitched after midnight that whole thing yeah it's a it's a sweet potato vine there's so many you know it's kind of cool to make them out of paper because they typically only last in the summer you know that's the one everybody puts in their planter boxes and the windowsill sweet potato vine so some years ago i left new york and i went to um work on our organic farm in california i spent the season there and there was a dog called rex best dog so at some point i made a little paper puppet of him and i wrote a little song about him i'm going to show you rex because he's very cute there is an old dog he's our favorite mutt but he tears through the garbage and he follows our truck he's a filthy old dog and he likes to run but if you go on after him he's doggone it gone i just did it anyway even though i knew it was going to be embarrassing i just did it anyway yeah so i like i mentioned before my grandmother taught me how to sew when i was pretty young and so i've always been sewing and then over 20 20 stay-at-home times i really just buckled down and designed pants that fit me which so many people know that buying pants especially off the rack is like sometimes terrible there's always fit issues so i came up with the andrew pants and put them on the internet and people like them so now there's a pattern a sewing pattern for people to make palm pants polka dots can't go wrong with polka dots this one has a side zip but these are my frida kahlo pants obviously you gotta love fritta i enjoy figuring things out whether it's pants or pig plant or whatever i really enjoy the process and once i've gone through that i also find it enjoyable to back up and then figure out a way to teach it to other people or just share so trousers like this video and subscribe to handmade for more home tours just like this okay i don't know if i've ever spoke like that in my life you\n"