Create gorgeous art projects and crafts with homemade faux-laminated tissue paper. This simple budget-friendly technique uses colored tissue paper, white background paper, and liquid starch to create a soft layered finish that looks far fancier than it costs.
If you already keep starch on hand for laundry or paper crafts, you’re halfway there. This is an easy way to add color, texture, and a lightly blended look to scrapbook pages, handmade decorations, and other paper projects without buying specialty sheets.
- 🧰 Materials You'll Need
- 🔧 Tools & Equipment
- 🛠️ How to Make Faux-Laminated Tissue Paper
- 🎨 Customization Ideas
- 🛠️ How to Use It
- 🛡️ Care and Handling
- 📦 Storage
- 💸 Estimated Cost
- 🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions about MYO Tissue Lamination
- 📌 Love this MYO Tissue Lamination? Pin it!
- 🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: MYO Tissue Lamination
Materials You’ll Need
- Colored tissue paper
- White background paper
- Liquid starch
Tools & Equipment
- Brush
How to Make Faux-Laminated Tissue Paper
- Lay the white background paper on a flat work surface.
- Carefully brush liquid starch on the white background paper, being sure not to leave puddles.
- Place a piece of colored tissue onto the paper.
- Continue brushing liquid starch over the tissue to blend your color.
- Allow it to dry completely before using it in your project.
Customization Ideas
- Layer colors: Add more than one tissue color for a mottled or stained-glass effect.
- Use bold contrast: Bright tissue over white paper gives the cleanest color payoff.
- Try softer blends: Lighter tissue shades create a washed, vintage look.
- Cut shapes first: Tear or cut the tissue before applying it if you want a collage-style finish.
How to Use It
Use faux-laminated tissue paper for colorful art projects and crafts, scrapbook accents, handmade paper elements, gift tags, card fronts, and decorative cutouts. If you’d like to make your own base tissue for other projects too, take a look at Make Your Own Tissue Paper and pair it with Easy Antiqued Paper Technique for even more budget-friendly paper crafting ideas.
Care and Handling
Let the paper dry flat so the finish stays as smooth as possible. Avoid soaking the sheet with extra starch, since puddles can wrinkle the background paper and make the color dry unevenly.
If you’re making pieces you want to keep for a while, choose acid-free paper and tissue when possible. The Library of Congress notes that acid- and lignin-free enclosures and papers help support better long-term preservation of paper items, which is worth knowing if you’re crafting keepsakes instead of one-day decorations: Care, Handling, and Storage of Works on Paper.
Storage
Store finished sheets flat in a cool, dry place away from direct light and heavy humidity. Slip them between clean sheets of plain paper or acid-free paper if you’re stacking several finished pieces together. Skip damp basements and hot attics. Paper crafts age badly in both, and they never do it quietly.
Estimated Cost
Estimated project cost: $0.75 to make one simple sheet, depending on the size of your background paper and how much tissue and starch you use. This estimate reflects consumable materials only. Prices vary by brand, pack size, and what you already have on hand.
🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
- Colored tissue paper at Walmart
- White background paper or cardstock at Walmart
- Liquid starch, 64 fl oz, at Walmart
- Soft craft brush on Amazon
- MYO Heavy Spray Starch
Frequently Asked Questions about MYO Tissue Lamination
Yes, if you want a lightweight finished sheet. If you need something sturdier for cards, tags, or cutouts, use heavier white paper or cardstock instead.
Use any colored tissue paper you like. The original method uses colored tissue over white background paper so the color shows up clearly.
It helps the tissue adhere to the background paper and smooths it down while blending the color across the surface.
Brush on the starch carefully and do not leave puddles. Too much liquid is the quickest way to end up with wrinkles, buckling, or uneven drying.
Yes. Layering tissue creates deeper color and more texture. Just work gently so the wet tissue does not tear while you brush over it.
No. Any soft brush that spreads the starch evenly will work. A softer brush is easier on delicate tissue paper than a stiff bristle brush.
Flat storage is the better choice for most finished sheets because it helps prevent curling and creasing.
It can be, especially if you use acid-free materials and store the finished pieces away from light, heat, and damp conditions.
Yes, as long as you have enough flat drying space. Finish each sheet separately so you can control puddles, wrinkles, and color blending.
📌 Love this MYO Tissue Lamination? Pin it!
Did you try this project? Tell us what colors you layered or what you made with your finished paper.
🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: MYO Tissue Lamination
MYO Tissue Lamination
Equipment
Materials
- Colored tissue paper
- White background paper
- Liquid starch
Instructions
- Lay the white background paper on a flat work surface.
- Carefully brush liquid starch on the white background paper, being sure not to leave puddles.
- Place a piece of colored tissue onto the paper.
- Continue brushing liquid starch over the tissue to blend your color.
- Allow it to dry completely before using it in your project.
- Do not leave puddles of liquid starch on the paper.
- Too much starch can cause wrinkling or uneven drying.
- Use acid-free paper and tissue if you want better long-term preservation for keepsake projects.
- Store finished sheets flat in a cool, dry place away from direct light and humidity.
wish you had a pic of the completed art. i would not try as i have no idea what it would look like or how to arrange the paper:bored::
i think this would be an awesome idea for my grandson, but i too would like to see a ‘completed project’
this is an example of a completed project here at a homeschooling blog i frequent:
those were done by children, so you can see how easy and beautiful they are.
easy and so pretty with the black drawing. the grandkids will love doing this.
great art project for many ages! will try it soon.
we homeschool and are always looking for new art projects. this one will be top on the list…thanks!
my granddaughter would love this! i have all of these supplies on hand! guess what we’re going to do today?!