UPcycle | Unique handmade paper

I love paper. My office/craft loft has a crate specifically for bits and pieces of notecards, tissue paper scraps, joss paper, construction paper and bright stationary.

I also love making my own paper. By far, this is one of the simplest and most fun DIY projects you can do.

This project doesn’t cost much at all and in no time you’ve got your very own artisan paper. And it’s great for saving trees and the environment.

It’s the perfect project for creating notecards for wedding invitations, with a personalized and intimate touch. When you send a hand-written handmade Save-The-Date to your guests, the potential for your recipient to keep it is maximized. Each notecard becomes a unique keepsake.

Photos: 10 DIY Wedding Ideas

What you’ll need:

Paper scraps: old newspaper, tissue paper, construction paper, printer paper
2 tbs. liquid starch
1 gallon warm water
One plastic container, approximately 18” x 24” and 5-6” deep
An old wooden picture frame
Window screen to fit the size of the outer rim of frame
Staple gun
Blender or food processor
Several pieces of felt cut to size of screen
Additions: colorful thread, dried flowers, leaves or herbs

1- Staple your screen onto your frame. Make sure it is taut, and there is no sagging when gently pressed. Set aside.

2- Shred your paper into a pile. Smaller shreds make it easier for creating the pulp. If you want a lighter shade of paper, don’t use newspaper with colored advertisements. This turns the paper pulp a dark gray when processed.

*For white or lighter paper, shred recycled printer or office paper. You can also add in color by shredding tissue paper or construction paper.

3- After you’ve got a big pile, fill up a large container – like a glass or a plastic pitcher – with warm water.

4- Fill up your blender or food processor halfway with shredded paper. Pour in warm water until the paper is covered and pulse until the paper is mushy.

5- Pour the mushy paper – what we will now refer to as pulp – into your plastic container.

6- Repeat this step until you’ve filled the container with approximately 1-2 inches of pulp.

7- Pour in enough warm water over the pulp so that you’ve now got what looks like pulp soup. The container should be filled about 4 inches from the bottom.

8- Mix in your liquid starch and stir well to distribute evenly.

* If you want to add flower petals, string or dried herbs, toss those in and stir.

9- Press your screen down into the pulp. You’ll want to wiggle the screen back and forth a bit. When you pull the screen up, you’ll see pulp has collected!

10- Spread it gently with your fingers or wiggle it to get the pulp even. Place the felt on top of the pulp and lightly press out as much water as you can back into the container.

11- With one hand on the felt, flip the screen and gently peel away your new paper!

12- Place the felt and paper to the side and repeat this step until you have the amount of sheets you want to make.

13- Make a stack with the sheets and place on a cookie sheet. Place another cookie sheet on top of this stack and press as much water out as you can.

14- Separate each sheet (with the felt still backing it) and place on a drying rack or hang with clothes pins somewhere to dry overnight.

15- Once dry, you’ll have beautiful handcrafted paper made with love to send to your friends and family.

Photos: 10 DIY Wedding Ideas

Pro-tip – Punch two small holes in the center of the cord and run a small piece of satin ribbon to add a special touch to your Save-The-Dates

 

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Twinkle VanWinkle ponders, creates and discovers cool stuff about music, movies, food, fashion and so forth. Her thoughtful writings and interactives give great advice about healthy food, cooking tips, DIY projects, fashion and more. She’ll teach you a thing or two about music as well. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.