Newspapers are the most common papers used for paper mache. The thicker the newspaper, the more weight it will carry. Thinner newspapers such as Ziploc bags and egg cartons can be used instead. Cotton cloth, foam rubber, and other lightweight materials can be cut into shapes and used as decorations. Newspaper strips can also be used to create braids. There are several types of newspapers used for paper mache. White copy papers such as from a newspaper office are best because they are not colored. Black-and-white copies may have bits of color in them from photos or drawings that were printed on white paper and then placed over the black background. These make good decoration only if you can find them in large quantities. Yellowed newspapers are old copies that have turned brown due to sunlight. They can still be used for paper mache, but the colors will look different. Vintage newspapers are even older versions of the same paper. They usually have yellowed pages with parts of articles still visible under a thin layer of dust. These are beautiful to work with because there are so many interesting words and pictures on each page, but they are very fragile.