Elevate a simple papier mâché bowl into a stunning statement piece

Oversized decorative bowls are the perfect pieces to turn to when it comes to accessorizing any tabletop in your home. They're everywhere these days, but instead of buying one, Steven Sabados showed us how to craft a unique decor accent that also happens to be incredibly inexpensive. This stunning statement piece is actually made of papier mâché –but we added few extra steps to help make the design a little more complex and eye-catching. It's a fun and easy activity, so it's also great to make with your kids. Here's how to make a simple and chic papier mâché bowl at home.

Here's what you'll need:

• Newsprint, cut into strips
• Patterned paper, cut into squares, in one or two patterns/colours
• Flour
• Water
• White glue
• Petroleum jelly
• Twigs
• Masking tape
• A big bowl, for shape
• A two-part epoxy resin with high gloss finish

Here's how to do it:

1. Make the papier mâché. Mix together one part flour to one part water plus a little glue to help hold it together.

2. Cover your bowl with petroleum jelly using gloves so that the papier mâché project comes off once dried.

3.  Dip your strips of newsprint into the papier mâché paste and begin to spread over the bowl surface. Make sure you have about four layers of the newsprint. The more layers, the stronger the bowl. Be sure to allow the bowl to dry for about 24 hours between every few layers, but don't apply too many layers, or it will make your bowl too bulky.

4. Now remove the bowl you used for shaping your project.

4. Soak your twigs before arranging them. This will make them more malleable. Add twigs cut to a length that appeals to you along the outer edge of the bowl using masking tape.

5. Then use your patterned paper as the top layer to hold the twigs down. This is easiest to do with a partner. Layer on the paper on the outside of your bowl a few squares at a time, and then brush it on with a mixture of glue and water. Repeat layers until you can no longer see the newspaper.

6. Apply the same paper or a different pattern to the inside of the bowl with the same mixture of glue and water. Layer until you can no longer see the newspaper. Allow to dry completely.

7. To seal your bowl, use a two-part epoxy resin that will dry with a high gloss. Pour on the inside to make it shiny, and spread with a foam applicator. You can also apply the resin to the outside of the bowl (once the inside has been left to set and dry for 24 hours) or simply leave it matte for contrast. Allow your bowl to dry one final time.

8. There you have it! A super chic decorative papier mâché bowl.