Terrible photo aside, this was a great craft project! It’s pretty simple to do (if it is a little messy) and can be a great way to do a little recycling. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Paper (tear it up or shred it first) – We used a mixture of tissue paper and printer paper.
- Two wooden picture frames
- Screening
- A blender or food processor
- a basin
- A sponge
- felt or flannel
Here’s the simple process:
Put paper scraps into the blender or food processor. (It’s a good idea to soak them a bit first.) Add water to make it about 2/3 full. Liquefy.
Pour the pulp into the basin…three times. (You might need to add a little water at this point.)
Take the screening and attach it to the back of one of the frames with staples.
Hold the frames together (back t0 back with the screening in the middle).
Lower into the basin fill with water and pulp. Slowly the lift the frames and let the water drain out. Use the sponge to remove more of the water then carefully flip the paper onto a piece of felt (kind of like you would flip a cake onto a cooling rack).
You can continue making the paper and stacking the felt until you are finished then use cookie sheets to press out the rest of the water. Do this in a tub or outside. Then allow the pieces to dry completely and gently peel the paper away from the felt. (We just left ours outside in the sun to dry…it worked perfectly!)
Have fun!