Have you ever seen beautiful homemade papers at your local craft store or home goods store? I love the look and texture of homemade paper and the different ways you can use it for cards, gift tags or as a blank canvas for creating a one of a kind piece of Art. I remember making paper as a child and later in a college Art class. Now it is something I love to do with my kids.
We love to use all sorts of scrap paper and see the different textures and colors. We have used scrap paper from my card making bin, old newspapers, junk mail, old wrapping paper and tissue, as well as used printer paper. We have even added flower seeds, leaves, and glitter towards. I usually sort my paper into color groups so I can have a variety of different shades of paper. This is a fun one for small kids too since they can mix and match colors to create new shades of paper.
The second item needed is an old blender to blend your paper pulp. Thrift stores and yard sales are a great place to get a used blender and you can get them for practically nothing. Just ensure you do not use a blender that you currently use for food. Next you will need to purchase a set of deckles or build your own with a piece of screen and a frame. Amazon offers some great inexpensive options for kits. I usually blend a few cups of water and a handful of paper scraps and/or shredded paper. Then scoop out a thin layer into the screen as evenly as possible. It is important to squeeze out as much water before removing the paper from the screen. You can use a towel, sponge, or items that come with your papermaking kit. You can also use a hair dryer or leave them out in the sun during the summer. Once it is fairly dry I usually flip it out of the screen to dry the rest of the way. This way you can make multiple sheets of paper with the same screen.
Once all your sheets are dry there are so many projects you can make. My kids love making paper. Once you have the basic supplies it cost nothing to make since you are just using recycled paper. We love using them for cards, gift tags, painting on them, and creating mixed media art. We are hoping to make more paper next week and creating Valentine cards and gift tags.