This project was easier than I thought and so satisfying. We shredded notebook paper, junk mail, schoolwork…so many papers from school! I found a round, flour sieve online to create this lovely shape and we used turmeric powder to make the deep yellow. The paper will likely have a natural purple hue if your scrap paper had ink on it. We even added native, wildflower seeds to a few batches to make "pollinator paper."
What a treat it was to give the school teachers some plantable, recycled paper made from old schoolwork for a holiday gift! And I loved seeing my old meeting note scribbles gain new life and form.
Tools:
used scrap paper
large bowl
good blender
flour sieve
wash cloths
cloth or baking sheet for a flat drying surface
Optional Additions:
native wildflower seeds
turmeric powder for yellow
beet juice for pink
Step 1: GATHER old notebook and scrap paper and cut it into shreds about 1/4" thick or less. The kids loved this part. Regular notebook paper works well for the project, so if you use thicker stock it has to soak longer to soften.
Step 2: SOAK. Grab your biggest kitchen bowl, stuff your paper in so it’s totally covered and let it soak for about 3 hours.
Step 3: BLEND. Put your saturated paper in your blender with a good amount of the soaking water. Blend it up (pulse at first, then work to a higher speed) until you see a pulpy consistency. For future projects, I may end up buying a blender for this specific purpose.
Step 4: SIEVE. Fill your large bowl with water and then place several large spoons full of pulp in it. You will get a feel for how much you need for your desired paper thickness by experimenting. Next, dip the sieve deep into the bowl as the pulp settles into your sieve. Then raise the sieve up and allow as much water to drain out as possible. Add a few wildflower seeds at this point while it is still wet if you'd like. I pressed the seeds down into the form a little so they would stay put, otherwise they just fell off the paper after it dried. Next, let even more water drain out. Patience here...drip drip drip...
Step: 5: PAT DRY. Place your sieve full of drained pulp on a cloth then use a dry washcloth to blot any remaining moisture out. Don’t’ press too hard! Be sure to go all the way to the edges.
Step 6: REMOVE. Carefully flip the sieve over and tap tap tap the edge until the paper begins to peel out. Slowly place your handmade paper onto a flat surface, I used a baking sheet, and allow it to dry overnight. Sometimes overnight is not long enough, so check it and wait until your paper is completely dry before removing it from the sheet.
Fun Color Options!
~Add a few tablespoons of turmeric powder to a separate bowl of water for yellow paper dye! The more spice, the deeper and richer the color.
~We also experimented with beet juice to create a pink dye. It only changed the natural purple hue a little bit.
~Next time, we want to try onion skins for an earthy, brown natural dye.
