Decoupage Tissue Paper Cross

Easter crafts are some of my very favorites. Over the years, I've shared 60+ ideas for crafts related to bunnies, chicks, and eggs, as well as dozens more crafts featuring flowers, butterflies, and rainbows. I've been making an effort over the past few years to add more religious Easter crafts to my blog. Last year's Palm Sunday project and kid-friendly Crown of Thorns were popular; today I'm adding another classic cross to the collection of Easter projects. It's made with tissue paper and Mod Podge. Affiliate links below. 

Decoupage Tissue Paper Cross

Materials:

• Neenah Bristol vellum
• tissue paper (light blue, light green, brown)
• Mod Podge
• decoupage brush
• scissors
• craft glue

Steps: 

Cut a piece of Bristol vellum into a 8.5" square. This will be the background. The 8.5" x 2.5" piece is for the cross. Tear thin strips of light blue and light green tissue paper. Remember - tissue paper has a grain! Cut a piece of brown tissue paper that is slightly larger than the small piece of paper. 

Pour Mod Podge into a cup and dilute it with a small amount of water (approximately 3 parts Mod Podge to 1 part water). Spread a coat of the watered-down Mod Podge onto the smaller paper - you want it to be moist but not puddly. Carefully place the brown tissue paper onto the moist paper. Load the brush with more Mod Podge and paint a coat over the top of the tissue paper. With the brush, smooth any wrinkles as best you can. Set it aside to dry. 

To make the background, work on one area at a time. Add a coat of Mod Podge to the bottom inch of the paper, lay down a strip of light green tissue paper, then paint over that to seal it. Add Mod Podge to the next section of the paper, then add the tissue paper, slightly overlapping the previous piece. Seal it. Repeat until you've covered half of the paper, then switch to light blue tissue paper. When the whole sheet is covered, set it aside to dry.  

Use scissors to trim the excess tissue paper from the background paper. Cut two 1" strips from the brown paper, one longer than the other, to form the cross. Glue the cross to the background.

Decoupage Tissue Paper Dolphin

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you like dolphins. Everyone likes dolphins, right? Three states like dolphins enough to have named them as their official State Saltwater Mammal (Florida), State Water Mammal (Mississippi), and State Marine Mammal (South Carolina). Read on for how to make a cool dolphin craft using tissue paper. Affiliate links below. 

Tissue Paper Dolphin

Materials:

• Neenah Bristol vellum
• tissue paper (light blue, dark blue, and silver)
• Mod Podge
• decoupage brush
• microtip scissors
• craft glue
• ultra-fine black Sharpie
• foam mounting squares

Steps: 

Prepare the Bristol vellum. You will need a total of two sheets: a full sheet for the light blue and a half-sheet each for the dark blue and silver. 

Cut or tear a piece of light blue tissue paper so that it is slightly larger than the full sheet. Set it aside. Tear thin strips of dark blue tissue paper. Don't cut them; you want them to be irregular to mimic the movement of the ocean. (Remember - tissue paper has a grain!) Cut a piece of silver tissue paper that is slightly larger than the half-sheet of paper. 

Pour some Mod Podge into a cup and dilute it with a little bit of water (about 3 parts Mod Podge to 1 part water). Spread a coat of the watered-down Mod Podge onto a half-sheet of paper. You want it to be moist but not puddly. It is important that it is completely covered. Carefully lay the silver tissue paper onto the moist paper. Load the brush with more Mod Podge and paint a coat over the top of the tissue paper. Use the brush to smooth any wrinkles as best you can. Don't worry about any overhanging tissue paper. 

Use the same technique to apply the light blue tissue paper to the full sheet of paper. Wrinkles are probably going to happen; gently smooth them out if possible. Don't overwork the tissue paper or you'll risk tearing it. 

To make the water, it is easiest to work on one area at a time. Paint a coat of Mod Podge onto the bottom inch of the paper, lay down a strip of tissue paper, then paint over that to seal it. Again, don't worry about overhanging tissue paper. Add Mod Podge to the next section of the paper, then add the tissue paper, slightly overlapping the previous piece. Seal it. Repeat until you've covered the entire half-sheet. 

When all three colors are completely dry, use scissors to trim the excess tissue paper from all four sides of the light blue and from three of the four sides of the dark blue. Tear or cut the fourth side in the shape of waves. Glue the dark blue paper onto the light blue. (I trimmed mine down to a square because I like squares, but you don't have to do that.)

Draw or trace a dolphin on the back of the silver paper, then carefully cut it out. Make a dot for its eye. Apply foam mounting squares to the back of the dolphin, then position it onto the paper. 

Me & My Awesome Dad

These are the last photos I have of my dad and me together. They were taken in the days following his 77th birthday party on May 23, 2025. When I said goodbye to return to California on May 27, I expected to see Dad again about 6 weeks later. Instead, my next trip to Idaho was for his memorial service. 

Me and My Awesome Dad (affiliate link)

It's hard to look at these pictures, but also a comfort seeing our big smiles and knowing we had that precious time together. 

Evacuation 2025

Here is the story of our evacuation during the Vista Grande Fire on June 2, 2025 and here is the layout. 

Evacuation 2025 (affiliate link)

I can't believe this was only 9 months ago. It feels like so much more time has passed. Our hills are no longer black, but instead a lush green. Our roads and houses aren't pink, although it's not difficult to find pink if you look for it, especially on the stucco. The smell of smoke, indoors and out, is long gone. I'm so grateful for the hardworking firefighters who kept us and our homes safe. 

Results: US Today Readers' Choice 10 Best - Art

US Today has announced the results of the Readers' Choice 10 Best in the Art categories. Let's see if my favorites did any better than in the Museum categories!

Best Art Museum

After much debate, I picked the Joslyn as the best art museum. It placed 6th. Top honors go to the Toledo Museum of Art. I'm happy with that result - we absolutely loved our visit to TMA. 

Best City for Street Art

I voted for Denver as the best city for Street Art and it ended up ranking at #7. The winner is Philadelphia. It's not street art, but don't miss Philadelphia's Magic Gardens the next time you're there. (Fun fact: We'll be visiting two of the cities on the 10Best List next month! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of street art.)

Best Sculpture Park

My pick for Best Sculpture Park is Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey. It is ranked at #7. The top vote getter is Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. We missed it during our trip to North Carolina; I'm adding it the list for the next time we visit the Tar Heel State. 

Best Small Town Arts Scene

Healdsburg was my pick for Best Small Town Arts Scene, but it did not place in the Top 10, despite being home to the largest moss wall in the US (which really should count for something). Top honors went to Vermillion in southeastern South Dakota, a stone's throw from Nebraska. 

 

I enjoyed seeing how the rankings came out in each of the art categories, but more importantly, I've added some destinations to my must-visit list!