Gather all the materials listed out to begin.

First, lay out plenty of paper towels over your work surface to control messes and spills.

Now, tear paper or newspaper into tiny pieces and put them in a big bowl. You can also use a pair of scissors. Newspaper is thicker and so, tear it into much smaller pieces.

Next, pour boiling water over the paper and let it sit for at least 2 hours(overnight if you used newspaper). The hot water will break down cellulose and turn your paper into pliable pulp.

Drain the pulp into a cheesecloth and squeeze the excess water out. Squeeze until you’re sure you managed to get all the moisture out of the pulp.

Remove the pulp from the cheesecloth and break it into tiny pieces and put everything in a bowl.

To make the flour paste, add flour(or cornstarch) to another bowl and mix in some water. Then, place this paste over low heat and stir continuously as it ‘cooks’ for 4-5 minutes. When the excess water evaporates, your paste should be smooth and sticky.

Alternatively, pop the paste into a microwave for 15-20 seconds, take it out, stir it, and pop it back in for another round. Repeat this 4-5 times and you’ll have your paste.

Pour the paste onto the pulp and knead them into a pliant dough. You can store this dough for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Go ahead and make a ton of paper mache craft items with your dough. Once you allow everything to air dry for a couple of days, you’re all done!