I started this front door Welcome hanger with a cardboard circle and 8 sun rays that I stapled together. I had loosely measured how large I wanted it, about 21 x 21". I added masking tape to help stabilize the rays. I also marked what I wanted to be the top sun ray. I punched a hole using an awl and added a ribbon string to hang it as it dried.
Then I lost my mind for a short while and added 8 more sun rays. 
I began to apply the glue-soaked, torn paper strips. Because I only added as many strips as I felt like working with every other day and because covering the sun rays was so tedious, it took a few weeks. Each time that I worked with it, it only took overnight to dry. I liked that it was bone-dry whenever I worked on it.
A project can be completely covered with papier mache, and covered with as many layers as is desired, in one sitting. It would take longer to dry. If drying conditions were not ideal (airy and warm), depending on what type of glue is used, the project could mold or warp too much. The glues generally used are wheat and wallpaper pastes or DIY flour glue mixtures. Find DIY papier mache pastes online.
I used Roman Universal Wheat Wallpaper Paste. It is easy to mix the amount that you want in the consistency that you desire and it doesn’t require cooking. I keep my mix in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator. It has kept for over 2 months with no odor or spoiling. I have an 8 oz box and a little bit of this powder goes a long way. Next time I won’t follow the directions on the box. I’ll spoon out what I want and add water to mix just a little at a time. A good consistency is like a thick soup.
After I added 2-3 layers of papier mache, over time, to the front, back and sides, I painted on one layer of white acrylic paint. I then painted on a rustic layer of yellow paint and began embellishing the project.
Media that I used:
- white, yellow and copper metallic paints
- paper scraps
- rhinestones, pearl stones
- wooden alphabets
- glitter
- bead supplies
- orange spray ink for the cheeks (which I made by taking apart old markers and putting the felt centers in a mini spray bottle and filling with alcohol)
- fiber yarn, cord trim
- jewelry salvage
The flower cheeks are cut from tissue paper printed with that floral design. The orange flowers centers I cut out separately. All other shapes were also cut by me. This image below is my fav stage of the project because I love that expression! Though I like the end result of my project, I wish I would have left the eyes like that. She looks so sweet and startled. 
Techniques that I used:
- papier mache
- painting
- collage
- altered art
- mixed media
I punched holes for the dangles, added them, completed the embellishments and she was done!
She is a 2-sided door hanger. When I replace her with my holiday wreath, I will design the opposite side of her for winter. I’ll use blues, whites, silvers and grays and hang her back up New Year’s Day. The blue beads in the 2 side dangles are for winter. One dangle has a snowman charm. The other has a snowflake.
Thanks for looking!
This is 16th in my 18-posts Chameleon Badge pursuit! 
It helped that I do so many different types of crafting and arting, so I felt I could have enough projects. The Food & Drink category was the most challenging. I do enjoy cooking and baking but hadn’t been doing much of interest lately. What I have done I’ve whipped up, forgetting to record ingredients and take pics.
