A paper adhesive composition includes a cationic non-crosslinked acidified solution of a polyamidoamine with the repeating units wherein n≧1; m=1 or 2; X−m is chloride, bromide, iodide, sulfate, bisulfate, nitrate, oxalate, alkyl carboxylate, aryl carboxylate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate, alkyl sulfonate, aryl sulfonate, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing anions; R1 is a divalent aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, or araliphatic group having from 1 to 24 carbon atoms; R2 is hydrogen or a monovalent aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, or araliphatic group having from 1 to 24 carbon atoms; and R3 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical derived from a dibasic carboxylic acid. Also disclosed are methods of creping paper with the composition.