How to Make a Paper Mache Baseball Bat

Use a paper mache bat for party decor.

Paper mache allows you to create large, decorative objects with few and inexpensive materials. Create a paper mache baseball bat to decorate a party, accessorize your bedroom or finish a school art project. Use simple household products to form the long shape of a baseball bat and cover cover it smoothly so that you can decorate it the way you like.

Things You'll Need

• Empty paper towel roll
• Newspaper
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• White glue
• Small mixing bowl
• Acrylic craft paints

Instructions

1. Roll two pages of newspaper into a 3-inch ball and flatten it to create a round cushion shape.

2. Place the round cushion shape at one end of an empty paper towel roll so the paper towel roll is centered in one of the circular sides. Tape it in place with masking tape. This is the the bottom of the baseball bat.

3. Roll another 3-inch ball of newspaper, but do not flatten it, and tape it over the hole on the opposite end of the baseball bat.

4. Fold several sheets of newspaper to create a 6-inch-by-12-inch rectangle that is about 8 layers thick.

5. Wrap the rectangle of newspaper around the sides of the ball at the top of the paper towel roll that you did not flatten. Leave the rounded top showing, but the sides wrapped so that it blends into the rest of the bat shape. Tape it in place around the top.

6. Pinch the bottom part of the rectangle tightly to the paper towel roll and tape it in place.

7. Wrap the masking tape several times around the top of the bat to thicken it, slowly moving down toward the bottom, gradually wrapping fewer times around as you reach the bottom of the bat. This will give the bat a tapered shape.

8. Cut several pages of newspaper into 1-inch-by-6-inch strips with scissors.

9. Mix 1 cup of white glue and 1/4 cup of water in a small mixing bowl.

10. Dip the strips of newspaper into the glue mixture and smooth them over the entire bat. Overlap the strips for full coverage. Allow the bat to dry over a sheet of newspaper overnight.

11. Paint the bat with acrylic paints to decorate it however you like and allow it to dry before displaying it.