Craft a Christmas Ham from Paper Mache

The finished mixed media ham for our
American Girl Dolls.

       Your dolls may prefer to eat a Christmas or New Year's Eve Ham with their feast. Our ham is made with both paper mache and Sculpey clay.
       Beneath the ham is a felt place mat sewn to imitate fresh lettuce garnish.

Supply List:

• masking tape
• newsprint
• toothpicks
• glitter glue: gold or yellow
• Sculpey oven bake clay
• paper mache pulp
• acrylic paints: yellow, red, white, hot pink, brown, tan and beige 
• Mod Podge
• tacky white glue

Step-by Step Instructions: First crush and shape your doll's holiday ham into the proportions you need their Christmas or holiday ham to be using the newsprint and masking tape.

Hams come in all shapes and sizes and are frequently served in American homes during both the winter and spring holidays.

       Cover the ham shape with paper mache pulp. Use a toothpick to create the scores into the ham's top surface just like the kind you see in real hams you eat at your parents or grandparents buffet during the holidays. Let the paper mache harden solid before moving on to the next step. It may take several days for the paper pulp to dry on all sides. I usually apply the mache on one side and let it harden for a day, then apply it on the bottom and let that harden for yet another day. It takes time to craft a nice large ham or turkey for the dolls. Don't worry about rushing this sort of craft, take your time with it and enjoy the process.

Hams are usually scored on top in order that they may better absorb glazes.

       While you are waiting on the paper pulp to cure, you can sculpt the pineapple rings and cherry centers using the Sculpey or any other brand of oven bake clay. Use toothpicks to shape the pineapple rings and again to mount the cheeries onto toothpicks cut in half. These will be poked through each pineapple ring for decoration, just as they are in a real holiday ham.

       Bake the tiny pieces as is recommended on the packaging of the clay. Let these cool.

Serving ham with pineapple slices and cherries is just one way to present them.

       Using tacky white glue, apply and position the pineapple rings over the top surface only of the paper mache ham. Now you will need to use a sharp tool to poke holes between the pineapple rings. I used a nail and then filled the cavities with tacky white glue. Then I inserted the toothpicks with cherries at one end between the holes of the pineapple slices.

       To paint the ham, mix various shades of pink, brown and tan to brush onto the surfaces of the meat only. Then paint the pineapple slices yellow and the cherries on top bright red. Squeeze out tiny portions of gold glitter glue onto the painted pineapple rings to make your ham look realistically basted with sugar and honey.

Close-up photo of the Sculpey pineapple and cherry garnish on the ham.