Homemade Paper: A Great Craft Project for You and Your Kids

As an artist, I have experimented with different mediums, but what I'm most drawn is watercolor. There's something magical about the way the paint flows on the paper. With watercolor, though, ordinary paper can't be used because the water will crinkle the paper and the paint won't flow properly. There are many varieties of watercolor papers out there and I've experimented with most of them with different degrees of success. Then I discovered homemade paper. Not only is it fun to make, but it provides a unique quality to my paintings and adds a different dimension than with store bought paper.

Making paper is a great craft project for you and your kids and it isn't that difficult to make. You probably have most of the equipment already and what you don't have you can make. Homemade paper can be used for many different craft projects. Besides painting on the paper, it can be used for scrapbooking, greeting cards, stationary, and more. Just let your imagination soar and I'm sure there are many other projects you can create with homemade paper. The most important thing is to have fun.

Materials

Newspapers, magazines, computer paper; experiment with other kinds of paper and/or cardboard.
Sponge
Window Screening
Wood Frame
Plastic Tub (Large enough to totally immerse frame)
Blender or Food Processor (not used for food)
White Felt or Flannel Fabric (without dyes)
Staples or Tacks
Liquid starch (optional)
Rubber Gloves (optional)

Now let's get started

Making paper can be messy. There should be plenty of room for you to stretch out and you should work away from any electrical outlets that might get splashed with the water.

The first thing to do is to make the mold. It should be smaller than the plastic tub you are going to dip it into. Stretch a piece of window screen over a wooden frame and staple into place. For the screen to fit better, the frame should be flat around the sides. But if you don't have a frame that is flat, you could turn the frame over and staple the screen to the backside. Stretch the screen as tight as possible without warping the frame. You want to make sure the screen doesn't sag. You want it to be firm and taut. If you have scrapes of wood lying around the garage, you could make your own frame, but it is so much simpler to use one that is already assembled.

Now tear the paper into small pieces, then add them to a blender until it is about half full. If you have an old blender around the house, that would perfect. You don't want to use one that will be used for food. The pulp and maybe of the inks might be harmful if swallowed. Now fill the blender with warm water and slowly pulse it to combine the paper and water. Once they start to combine, you can crank the blender up to a higher speed and continue blending until you have a fine pulp, about 30 - 40 seconds. Check that no flakes of paper remain. If there are, blend a little longer.

Fill a plastic tub about half way with water. Add about 3 blenderfuls of pulp. The more pulp you add the thicker the finished paper will be. You can add more or less, depending on your preference. Now stir the mixture until well combined. If your hands are sensitive to the pulp, you can slip on a pair of rubber gloves to help protect them.

Stir 2 teaspoons of liquid starch into the pulp. Liquid starch is used for sizing. It helps to prevent inks from soaking into the paper fibers. This is not a necessary step, but if the paper is going to be used for writing on, you should add some.

Lower the mold into the pulp and then level it out while it is submerged. Gently wiggle it side-to-side until the pulp on top of the screen looks even. Slowly lift the mold up until it is above the level of the water. Wait until most of the water has drained from the new paper sheet. If the paper is very thick, remove some pulp from the tub. If it is too thin, add more pulp and stir the mixture again.

Once most of the water has dripped out of the mold, gently ease the mold down flat. Use a sponge to press out as much water as possible. Wring the excess water from the sponge back into the large plastic tub. Hold the fabric square flat and slowly lift the edge of the mold. The wet sheet of paper should remain on the fabric. If it sticks to the mold, you may have pulled to fast or not pressed out enough water. It takes a little practice. You can gently press out any bubbles and loose edges at this point.

Cover the sheet of paper with another sheet of fabric and repeat the process until you end up with a stack of homemade paper sandwiched in between pieces of fabric. Save one fabric square to place on the top of the stack to cover the last piece of paper. To press the remaining water out of the stack, use a any flat object. This part can be messy, so you should pick a location where the water can drain off. Maybe outside or in the bathtub or you can set up a plastic tray lined with newspaper.

After you press the stack, gently separate the sheets of paper, while still keeping them lying on their sheet of fabric. Spread the pieces of paper out on some newspapers. Once they are completely dry, peel the paper from the fabric. Your paper is now ready to use for whatever your imagination can think of.

Storing Extra Pulp

You'll probably not use all the pulp at once. And it's a waste to through it away. There are ways you can store the extra pulp so you can use it another time. Newly made or leftover pulp can be stored in sealed bottles or buckets for up to a few weeks. Pour pulp through a colander lined with mesh, rinse well under running water, and return it back to its container slightly diluted. If the pulp is too thick, dilute it with water.

If after a week or so your pulp starts to smell badly, add one teaspoon of household bleach for each two quarts of pulp. Before using the pulp again, however, make sure that you give it a good, thorough rinsing.

For longer storage, drain pulp through a stocking and hang to dry. When you need some, simply break off pieces, soak them in water for an hour, and blend again.