handmade paper

Making paper is a simple process and incredible way to help the environment by recycling paper in your very own home.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

- a screen

- paper scraps

- a piece of felt or a sham-wow

- a blender

- an iron

- liquid starch

THE STEPS:

01.  Make a screen:  This can be done very easily by cutting a square out of a window screen and pinning or stapling it to a frame, this will designate the size of your paper.

02.  Gather paper scraps, flower petals, the cardboard cereal boxes in your paper recycling, et cetera— whatever you want recycle into paper.

03.  Rip pieces of paper up into small squares that are an inch or so, and put them in the blender until it is filled halfway.

04.  Fill the blender with water and mix to create pulp.  The highest setting will result in a finer paper and lower settings will create more texture and allow you to see more individual details.

05.  Fill the sink or tub with enough water for the screen to float.  Pour the pulp into the screen and gently move the screen from side to side to create an even layer of pulp.

06.  Pour one tablespoon of liquid starch over the pulp and try to spread it around evenly.  You can get liquid starch from any laundromat, I just bring in a jar and ask them for it, & it is usually free.  This allows for writing, printing, or painting on the paper without it eating up the ink, but is an optional step if you do not intend to write on the paper.

07.  Carefully life the screen and drain the sink.

08.  Use a piece of felt or a sham-wow to drain some of the water from the paper and flatten the pulp.

09.  When the paper is dry enough to move (it will still be pretty damp), flip the screen onto a hard surface.  Put an old t-shirt or piece of cloth over the paper and steam the water out with an iron.  This quickens the drying process and flattens the paper.

“Virgin papermaking is one of the most environmentally harmful industries on earth… It depletes forests and their biodiversity, it uses more water than any other industrial process in the nation (more than double the amount of recycled papermaking) and dumps billions of gallons of water contaminated with chlorinated dioxin and other hazardous pollutants.” (Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte, 2006)

“The US uses approx. 68 million trees each year to produce 17 billion catalogues and 65 billion pieces of direct mail.” (Source: American Forest and Paper Association, http://www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf)

“700 pounds of paper are consumed by the average American each year.”  (Source: Environmental Defense Fund, Champion Paper Mills, http://www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf)

“3 cubic yards of landfill space can be saved by one ton of recycled paper.” (Source: 50 Simple things you Can do to Save the Earth, Jodi B., Sudbury, http://www.id2.ca/downloads/eco-design-paper-facts.pdf)