One of my current projects is making paper from the mountain of old scrap paper we have piling up in the kitchen!
The first step is to rip the old paper into little pieces. Any paper should work as long as it isn't glossy, but it's worth considering that sheets with a lot of dark ink will affect the colouring of your finished paper.
Add enough warm water to cover all the paper scraps and leave them to soak overnight.
Put your paper soup into a blender and whizz it into a delicious paper smoothie! Probably don't drink it though. At this stage you can alter the colour of your paper by adding a few drops of food colouring.
Stretch a piece of cloth or mesh over a frame and pour on the paper pulp. Obviously the thinner and smoother it is the finer (but potentially more delicate) your paper will be. They type of cloth you use may also affect the texture your paper ends up with. If you want to add anything for decoration, now's the time! Use moss, tree bark, flower petals, leaves, whatever you like. You can even add seeds to make seed paper which can be planted - this is a great way to share wildflower seeds.
The time it takes for your paper to dry will depend on how thick and wet the pulp is. I've found it generally takes about 24 hours. Once dry, carefully peel the paper away from the cloth frame and trim off any untidy edges.
I used my finished paper to display pressed flowers. It makes a great addition to scrapbooks and junk journals, and would be an exciting extra to send to a pen pal! If you're into witchcraft you could add herbs to your paper pulp and use them as spell sheets ✨🌱✨
