| Handmade Paper… | 09.23.09 |
handmade paper is a perfect after school project for your children…simple, a little messy & lots of fun….you can make paper out of almost anything….we made lavender & grass paper….and even cinnamon paper….here’s the 411 about making your own paper….use your imagination & enjoy….
SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED:
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INSTRUCTIONS:
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1. Select the pieces of paper to be recycled. You can even mix different types to create your own unique paper. 2. Rip the paper into small bits, and place into the blender. (about half full). Fill the blender with warm water. Run the blender slowly at first then increase the speed until the pulp looks smooth and well blended. ( 30 -40 seconds) Check that no flakes of paper remain. If there are, blend longer. 3. The next step is to make a mold. The mold, in this case, is made simply by stretching fiberglass screen (plain old door and window screen) over a wooden frame and stapling it. It should be as tight as possible. 4. Fill the basin about half way with water. Add 3 blender loads of pulp. (the more pulp you add the thicker the finished paper will be) Stir the mixture. 5. Now is the time to add the liquid starch for sizing.(This is not necessary but if the paper is going to be used for writing on, you should add some, the starch helps to prevent inks from soaking into the paper fibers.) Stir 2 teaspoons of liquid starch into the pulp. Place the mold into the pulp and then level it out while it is submerged. Gently wiggle it side-to-side until the pulp on top of the screen looks even. 6. Slowly lift the mold up until it is above the level of the water. Wait until most of the water has drained from the new paper sheet. If the paper is very thick, remove some pulp from the tub. If it is too thin, add more pulp and stir the mixture again. 7. When the mold stops dripping, gently place one edge on the side of a fabric square (felt or flannel square). Gently ease the mold down flat, with the paper directly on the fabric. Use a sponge to press out as much water as possible. Wring the excess water from the sponge back into the large plastic tub. 8. Now comes the tricky part. Hold the fabric square flat and slowly lift the edge of the mold. The wet sheet of paper should remain on the fabric. If it sticks to the mold, you may have pulled to fast or not pressed out enough water. It takes a little practice. You can gently press out any bubbles and loose edges at this point. 9. Repeat the steps above, and stack the fabric squares on a cookie sheet. Save one fabric square to place on the top of the stack to cover the last piece of paper. Use another cookie sheet to press the remaining water out of the stack. (do this outside or in the bathtub, it can make a mess) 10. After you press the stack, gently separate the sheets. They can be dried by hanging on a clothesline or laying them out on sheets of newspaper. When they have dried peel them off the fabric and voila! you have paper! |
this is a great way to teach little ones about recycling & when your paper is dry you can draw or paint on it…handmade paper would make super sweet save the dates for a wedding or birthday party too!
XOXO
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September 23rd, 2009 at 7:35 am
Lovely… I am SOOOOO doing this! Thanks for the great post and lovely photos.
September 23rd, 2009 at 8:01 am
Ahhhh, I used to LOVE making homemade paper when I was a kid! These bring back good memories!
September 23rd, 2009 at 8:14 am
I love your blog!! So breathtakingly beautiful!! I just thought you’d also like to know about the beautiful art that my husband and I create……amazing Fairy Treehouses and little enchanting fairy furniture. I thought perhaps you might like to superimpose some of the wedding couples in photos of our fairy house or little furniture! It would be so enchanting and so different! They also might like to have our magical and beautiful creations at their wedding as gifts or conversation pieces. Hope you’ll visit my website……lots of pictures of everything we do!!
Thanks so much and I know I’ll keep visiting your blog! It’s truely enchanting, too!!
Debbie
September 23rd, 2009 at 8:30 am
I did this in art class when I was in elementary school! Great idea to make it an at-home project for your kids!
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:20 pm
lllllooove it? I absolutely love lavender and I will do this!!!!! wish me luck
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I LOVE handmade paper…did it once…LOVE it, but a little messy ;O
September 24th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Wow! That’s a fun art project! Thanks for sharing!
September 24th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
omg…this is incredible. definitely a DIY i will try. thanks so much!
P.S. your blog is amazing and has become a daily visit for me.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Wow, that’s so cool!
September 27th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I spent an entire summer making paper like this once when I was in high school. Letting it dry in the sun sometimes gives the paper a cool sunbleached look.
Beautiful blog
September 28th, 2009 at 10:24 am
love it! a great idea….but mostly I am jealous of your food processor! I want it
xxx
October 7th, 2009 at 5:08 am
[...] your Save the Dates or invitations … and a fun project to do with your fiance! Head over to Kiss the Groom for the full tutorial and [...]
October 7th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
[...] your Save the Dates or invitations … and a fun project to do with your fiance! Head over to Kiss the Groom for the full tutorial and [...]
October 24th, 2009 at 6:07 am
Hi Elizabeth, I’m so glad to have found your blog through design aglow (i’m in the article right before yours) this is amazing, i have not made paper since I was a kid. i love how you capture the process, i can smell it through the computer!
December 4th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
[...] AMAZING handmade paper tutorial that Elizabeth Messina put together on Kiss the Groom. Thanks to Millie for the [...]
December 4th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
this would be so great for holiday tags or cards. thanks so much for sharing! xo
December 5th, 2009 at 4:06 am
We made this at school! I could try making one :]
January 7th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
[...] my link-hopping travels, I discovered this article from kiss the groom. It’s a how-to for making your own handmade paper! It looks kind of [...]