In this tutorial, I am going to make a faux blackened wax sheep ornament using scrap paper and a vintage ceramic cookie mold.
Watch the Video Tutorial:
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience, which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more. For more information, please visit our Privacy Policy.
Make the Primitive Sheep:
First, you will make a paper pulp. Start by taking some scrap paper and tear or cut it into small pieces and place them in a bowl. The project will be painted so it doesn’t matter what color of paper you use.
Cover the pieces of paper with water and let it soak overnight. Pour the paper and water mixture into an old blender. I have a blender I use exclusively for craft projects. Blend until the paper looks like mush.
Pour the blended paper mixture into a strainer to remove excess water. Use your hands to press the paper mixture to remove water and massage the fibers together. You want to keep working the pulp for several minutes until the paper begins to feel more dry.
I am using a vintage sheep Brown Bag cookie mold. I found it at a thrift store. You can also sometimes find these on Ebay. They also have new silicone cookie molds that I think should work for this but I haven’t tried one. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Start pressing the paper pulp into the cookie mold. Press everything into the mold well and keep massaging the paper fibers together as you work. Make sure to keep paper pulp from going over the edge of the mold.
Carefully press a sponge over the paper pulp to remove any more excess water.
Let the sheep completely dry. It took four days for mine to dry. It will start to shrink and separate from the mold as it dries.
Use scissors to trim off any overhang on the edges. You can use a fine grit sandpaper to lightly sand the edges if needed.
Paint the front of the sheep with black craft paint and sprinkle some cinnamon over the sheep while the paint is still wet. Use a stiff paint brush to mix the cinnamon into the paint.
After the paint is dry, repeat the painting and cinnamon process for the back of the sheep.
Be sure to check out our other primitive craft tutorials.
Be sure to pin this primitive tutorial:
