Paper Mache Centerpiece Bowl with Paper Balls

Man, it's been a long time since I did anything paper mache! I forgot how fun and easy it is, not to mention how many options there are.  I wanted to use the pages of a dollar store book that I never did read, nor did I think I would ever read, and here's what I came up with:

To start, I picked a big, cheap bowl that I had in the kitchen.  I used modge podge glue, watered down a smidge, and a foam brush.  I tore a bunch of pages to have them ready, but you could do it as you go along.

I laid out a garbage bag as my work surface, and turned the bowl upside down.  There was a dip at the bottom of the bowl, so I put a coaster in it to keep the surface level.  Then, I covered the whole bowl with Saran Wrap.

From there, its just a matter of patience.  I painted some modge podge onto the area that I would be working and then stuck a pieces of paper to the glue.  Then another layer of modge podge and another layer of paper.  The more layers of paper and glue, the stronger your bowl will be.

I wanted a deep bowl, so I went close to the brim, but if you want a shallow bowl, just stop whereever you want.  I tried to keep the edges relatively straight, but not perfect.

Let it dry overnight, take out the bowl, and pull out the Saran Wrap.

The bowl wasn't super sturdy, so I decided the filler needed to be made of paper.  I've had this tutorial pinned for a while, but I wasn't sure what to do with it.  Instead of using the paper balls as ornaments as the blogger suggested, I just left them as is and piled them into the bowl.  It takes a little practice to get the hang of making those balls, but I like the way it came out:

Now I just have to decide if I like it as a centerpiece on its own, or if I want to add something else around it on the table.  Any ideas?

Until next time, happy crafting!