Attractively adorned paper, melded with fragrant flowers and delicate designs, can add a personal touch to any message. Here's how to create signature stationary that will have your friends taking note.
Materials
papermaking kit (available at craft stores)
moss and lint (optional)
vat (such as a plastic bin)
thirsty towels
paper
blender or processor (an old one is best)
sizing (available at craft stores; white glue or liquid starch also works)
measuring utensils
for optional embossing: 18 gauge copper wire, needle nose pliers, needle and thread
Step 1: Prepare the paper
To make paper you need paper, so head to your recycling bin and gather some. One important thing to keep in mind is the type of paper you use. You need both short fiber paper and long fiber paper, because the long fiber is going to help strengthen your paper. An easy way to tell the difference is to look at the paper while you are tearing it. Long fiber paper will leave very rough edges while short fiber paper will not. Stay away from glossy print, like magazines. You want good paper that has a dull finish. You may want to keep the color somewhat similar. If you mix a lot of different colors, your final product will be a grayish color. On the other hand, that may be what you want. Tear up the paper into tiny pieces and put it in a pan of water. Let it sit overnight, and you will end up with softened paper that's like mush.
Step 2: Process the slurry
The next day, take about one-half cup of the paper pulp and squeeze out the water. Combine this with two cups of water and a handful of dry flowers in your blender or food processor. If you have any crumbled dried flowers, this is an excellent use for them. Save your whole dried flowers for later. You can also add moss and lint from your dryer for additional texture.
Once you've added all the elements, it's time to process the paper. You'll want to use an older blender or processor for this project because the paper will dull the blades. Blend the paper mixture for about a minute. If you process too long, the paper will become too thin and your design will be muted.
Step 3: Size the paper
Before you pour the pulp into the vat, it's important to size the paper. This waterproofs the paper and prevents the ink from bleeding into the paper. Take two tablespoons of sizing and mix it in with your slurry.
Step 4: Set up your area
Before you start making the paper, set up your area. This is going to be very messy so take the pieces of felt and lay them on a flat surface. Then, on top of these, place a couple of very thirsty towels. These are going to be sopping wet by the end of the process.
Step 5: Pull the paper
Pour the paper slurry into a large plastic vat that is filled two-thirds with water. Make sure to stir the mixture because it has a tendency to pool at the bottom. Then take your mold and deckle and line them up. They will fit together easily to make one piece. Drop it in the back of the vat horizontally and then swipe it across the bottom to get the best of the slurry. Shake it a bit and then pull it up. Let the water drain over the vat. Then move your deckle and mold onto your thirsty towels. Remove the deckle. Turn over the mold, take a cloth and blot out the moisture, and then lift the mold. You've created your first piece of paper! On top of that paper, add another cloth and continue the process until you run out of slurry.
Once you have mastered this process, there are many other things you can do. For example, you can monogram or emboss your papers. It adds a lovely personal touch and is very simple to do. Using needle-nose pliers, shape the 18-gauge copper wire into the desired letter. Then, with a needle and thread, attach it onto the inside of your mold. Just a few stitches will secure it, and then it is ready for the vat.
You can also embellish the paper by adding dried whole flowers to the premixed sludge. These will meld into your paper to create a bolder floral design.
Step 6: Dry the paper
Your final step is to dry the paper. Press the paper directly onto the glass of a window. When the paper is dry, it will simply fall to the floor. Then just gather the pieces up and place them under a stack of books to help flatten them out. Afterwards, you have a beautiful gift worth writing home about.
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