Just in Case You Ever Wanted to Know How to Make a Giant Toadstool

For the past month or so, our house has resembled a post-apocalyptic landscape of a particularly slimy sort. No fewer than three rooms of our house have been taken over by papier-mâché and the dog has eaten more gooey newspaper than I care to think about. I have done a lot of papier-mâché recently; so much, that my clothes are permanently spattered with goo and I have developed an almost fetishistic interest in piles of newspaper. 

It all began innocently enough with my decision to make a few little toadstools for the table at Tiger's party. I made two or three using empty Jalna yoghurt bottles for the stems and employing various kitchen bowls as molds for the caps. Tigerlily was initially interested in the idea of papier-mache but she baulked at the process itself; it must be admitted that there are few individuals who enjoy the experience of soaking one's hands in a cold substance that most closely resembles phlegm. She happily helped me paint them once they were completed however, and it was while she was doing so that she was overcome with a sudden inspiration:

"What if we made a giant toadstool Mama? One that we could climb inside?"

Her excitement was infectious and suddenly I was inspired too; before I knew it we were making sketches and plotting. I explained that we probably couldn't make one big enough for several children but that we might be able to make one for a single child. I remembered that Reverse Garbage had large cardboard storage tubes and wondered if they would work as a stem for our giant mushroom. Tiger asked me gently if we might drive there immediately and suddenly we were all in the car, chattering excitedly about how our project might come together. From the very beginning I had to be careful not to set her expectations too high, I had no idea whether I could actually make such a thing, let alone one that could be used as decoration for her party. 

As it turned out, we found the perfect tube at the very back of RG and Tiger insisted that I lift her into it to make sure that she could indeed fit comfortably inside. We carried it to the cash register along with an armful of artificial flowers (for the ever-pumping fairy-wing factory), a tiny decorative bottle and a hair ornament (such is the eclectic shopping experience of Reverse Garbage). We had not, unfortunately, considered how we might fit the tube into our tiny car but, after some ten minutes of seat-adjustment and swearing, we drove it home reclining elegantly on the passenger seat.

I was trying to make most of the props for Tiger's party out of materials we already had at home or which we could find on the street. I did, however, have to ask Nicky to buy chicken wire for the frame of the toadstool cap. To make up for this out-sourcing, we used up our extraordinarily large supply of old coffee trays to support the structure:

I cut and strapped two trays together to 

be the centre support.

We then took the length of chicken wire and folded

it over this centre point.

 We then used more coffee trays to support the edges...

...and taped them all in place as well as one can when

dealing with chicken wire.

 

By this time, Tigerlily was all tuckered-out and she

had a wee nap in the tube.
Please note that it was, apparently, originally a storage

vessel for bulk paracetamol (obviously a child-friendly

bed if ever there was one). 

Over the next few days, I papier-mached four layers of paper over the form (making sure the last layer was white paper only) and waited rather impatiently for the whole thing to dry. 

Tigerlily helped me paint the top. 

I was not exactly happy with the way in which I painted the underside of the cap but six year-olds are a remarkably forgiving audience. 

Nicky was given the task of cutting the 'door' into the toadstool. He is far, far more fastidious than I am, a quality which makes him the perfect candidate for activities which require precision. I would probably have carved something roughly door-shaped but Nicky set to it with a piece of string and a ruler which resulted in a perfect and functioning door. He hung it from two big hinges and would have added a latch but for the fact that Tigerlily misplaced it amid the chaos. Despite an aching hand from all the carving, he even added two windows after Tiger complained about the darkness inside the toadstool.
    When I came to paint his beautifully crafted door, I intended to use the tried and true technique of putting down a layer of wet paint and dragging a comb through it to make the wood grain. I applied a thick layer of burnt umber, turned around to grab my flea comb, and turned back to discover that all the paint had disappeared! It had completely soaked into the cardboard. Honestly, half a centimetre of paint disappeared in seconds. I have never experienced anything like it. In the end, I had to paint the door with a kind of simulated woodgrain that I have never attempted before. In my enthusiasm, I spattered paint all over the cardboard tube which meant that I had to paint something to cover my mess. I chose to paint a shrubbery which was rather unfortunate looking so I painted lots of ivy in an attempt to distract from its obious un-plantness. 

 

 The small toadstools ended up as the

border to the 'party zone' and the giant

toady was set in a little, closer to the 

tea party table. 

Please note dodgy shrubbery.

 Tigerlily and Bella posing with the

toadstool (which gives a good idea

of the door).

I just love Tiger's expression in this one.

The very adorable Matilda demonstrating 

its proper use.

I would have loved to have made a flair at the base of the toadstool stem (along with little flower boxes under the windows) and the cap is not quite the right size for the base but, in the end, I was just delighted that we managed to make it at all. There are currently seven little toadstools on our television and the giant toadstool stands in the corner of our lounge room (which is Wolfie's favourite place to hide at the moment). Now that the party is over, I cannot help but wonder what, exactly, we are going to do with them??