Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I had hoped to minimize mess & increase project speed while doing an art project with 20 kids that required the covering of balloons with this glop. It turned out I would have been better served (& in the end I had to do it anyway)spending $1 on 5 cups of flour & 20 cups of h2o to mix up a flour paste, tearing up some old newspapers & covering them the old-fashioned way. Out of 13 balloons done with Celluclay (the rest were only paste, paper & balloon) only 2 didn't crack- and mine wasn't one of them! As noted before, in order to salvage the project, I mixed up some paste & reinforced every Celluclay balloon with several layers of newspaper strips.

Another con, I found that even with a fan directly on the balloons & the a.c on, Celluclay takes days on end to dry. Gads! Four layers of paste & paper only-- 24 hours.

I can see if I was using this product in the place of clay, it might not be bad, but in the place of paper mache, well, next time I'll try cold oatmeal first.

P.S. I did try mixing it up 24 hours in advance, as another reviewer suggested, but the fresher stuff worked much better for my example than the day old stuff worked for my students. Wheat paste- easy, fast, not nearly as messy as I remembered, and WAAAAAYYYY less expensive.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I have used the gray 'Papier Mache' for almost 20 years! Tried a couple different of Papier Mache brands but not as strong as this product when dry. It is Rock Hard and Sands up nice too. The secret to a perfect batch of Papier Mache for sculpting is in the MIXING!! I use a large Tupperware bowl hot water, a squirt of dish soap [as this helps with the sticky] And wear rubber gloves if you prefer, then knead, knead and knead some more!! It's just like working bread dough. I usually let it sit after mixing for 24 hrs. Then use just as you would any clay. Is best to build over a foundation of some type rather than a solid piece of papier mache,as the outside will dry before the inside.I love it! This is my main medium to work with.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

This product was easy to mix up and so much easier to use than the old wheat paste and strips of news paper. It took incredible details we created our own hand made paper.

The ornaments we made were light weigh and but quite durable.

Comments about Activa Celluclay Instant Papier Maché:

I thought this product would be better, but it reminds me of tuna fish. It's not much like clay, shrinks and cracks even if you just air dry it, and if your pieces are too thick they will get moldy. I was hoping to create nice detail, or even just get a smooth surface going. I find myself wishing I was working with clay, or cookie dough or chewing gum. anything but this.