DIY 365: Handmade Paper and Paper Pulp Molding

This is a great project to do with kids. In fact, I did it with my preschooler on one of the days that his brothers had school but he didn't. With three kids in school, we generate a LOT of scrap paper. Of course, handmade paper is super easy, but even easier is paper pulp molding.

Paper pulp stars on our handmade paper

We started out with several sheets of used notebook paper and a couple of sheets of used copy paper. Notice the bright blue sheet at the bottom. There's an important reason to include this one. It's what gives the finished product it's beautiful light blue color. The more vibrantly colored the paper you include, the more color your finished paper will have. And, of course, the more colored paper you include, the more intensely colored your finished paper will be.

Then we tore it into small bits. You could also use shredded paper. If you do, make sure you remove any plastic windows from envelopes (if you shred them).

Next we put it in the blender and let it soak for a few minutes, maybe 20 minutes. Then blend until you get a slurry. At this point you could add flower seeds, crushed flower petals, bits of fiber (e.g. yarn or finely snipped pieces of fabric). If you're making it just for molding, you could add glitter or bits of foil.

If you're making paper, put the slurry in a large pan and add water. Stir to combine. (If you're just molding the pulp, skip ahead.)

You'll need a screen of some sort to make the paper. I've seen mesh splatter screens suggested, but the ones I found were too big for my largest pan. Instead I used my makeshift screen from when I made paper years before: a large picture frame encased in pantyhose. Inelegant, but it works!

Slide the screen into the slurry mixture, then slowly bring it out, making sure you have a good layer of pulp on the screen. Place it on an absorbent towel. Place another towel on top of the pulp. Using a sponge, blot the top. The point is to remove as much water as possible. Peel the top towel off and set aside to dry. This is a good project to make in winter, when it's really dry, especially if you have a fireplace or wood stove that sucks even more moisture out of the air. It took about 6 hours for our paper to dry in front of the fireplace. I have seen suggested that if you're impatient, you could use a heat gun to speed drying, but seeing as how my screen was pantyhose (nylon) that might melt, I didn't think that would be a good idea.

There wasn't really enough pulp to make a second sheet of paper (nor did I have another screen), so we made paper pulp stars. If you thought making the paper was pretty easy - and it is - paper pulp molding is even easier. If you have leftover slurry, like we did, scoop some out in a mesh strainer and let it drain until it's thick, then put a small amount in a mold. We used a star-shaped candy mold, but you could also use fun-shaped ice cube trays. I once made a paper pulp wreath out of a gelatin mold container.

Just as with the handmade paper, place a towel on top and blot with a sponge. Fill with more pulp if needed, then blot again. When done, place in a safe place to dry.  When they're dry, pop them out of the mold.

You can use them to embellish scrap book pages or handmade cards, if you're so inclined. If you embed a string in them while you're molding them, you have a nifty garland with no sewing, threading or fuss.