Homemade or homemade-looking paper is becoming very popular in crafts these days.  It can be used for scrapbook accents and backgrounds, rubber-stamping, or any use that involves paper!  Homemade paper lends a distinctive personal touch to any project from greeting cards to a personal note or letter.  It is not only a fun way to spend an afternoon, but a great way to get the kids involved in crafts, and a great way to recycle!

Historically, the best papers in Europe were first made from a processed sheep, goat, or calfskin. Other parts of the world used woven vegetable fibers pounded together: the Egyptians used papyrus, a long coarse grass; and the cultures of China and Japan are known even today for producing very fine rice papers, made from the rice leaves or shoots. When the development of the printing press created a demand for paper, Europeans used old rags and recycled clothing, and eventually wood pulp from trees.

There are many techniques used to make paper, from the simple basic to the complicated.  Here will be detailed a very basic technique for using recycled paper to make beautiful homemade paper.

Supplies needed include:

Frames

Screen

Blender

Large tub

Towels

Cloth such as J-cloth

Sponge or dish cloth

First you will need frames and screen to form the paper.  Most frames are wooden and consist of a pair.  The inside diameter of the frame dictates the size of the resulting paper.  Therefore if building or buying your frames, be sure that the inside diameter is what you would like your paper to be.

The pair of frames should fit together flat with no gaps.  One of these frames needs to be covered with a smooth tight screen, which can be nailed or stapled to the sides of the frame.

Now that the frames are ready, we need to make the paper pulp.

There are many types of paper that can be used, not limited to:

Computer paper

Newspaper (results in a grayish-colored paper)

Magazines

Egg cartons

Old cards (makes a heavier paper)

Toilet Paper

Paper Bags

Non-Waxed Boxes (presoak longer)

Office paper

Tissue Paper (for finer paper)

Typing paper

Paper napkins

Construction Paper

I often divide by color, texture and fiber type, trying to get a combination that goes well together.  It is interesting to use a light colored paper and throw in a little bit of a brighter color, which gives a bit of a confetti look. Remember some of this recycled paper may not be strictly acid-free, so take that into consideration when using with your photos.

The paper needs to be cut or shredded into small pieces, no larger and about ½ inch to an inch.  It helps the process to soak the paper overnight after shredding to soften it. 

Place a small amount of your soaked paper mash into a blender.  Fill about 1/3 full.  Add water to at least ¾ full, then blend for a few minutes until smooth and most of the chunks are gone.  You can experiment and figure out how coarse or smooth the pulp is.

This pulp mixture out of the blender can be poured through your screened frames over the large tub, although it can be hard to figure out thickness.  Another alternative is to place the pulp mixture in the tub with lots and lots of water, until you have a mixture that consists of about 20% pulp and 80% water.  Keep blending pulp and adding water until the tub is about half full.  This will make a lot of paper.

Important to note!  Don’t let any of this pulp go down your drains!  It will clog them very badly.  Protect your drains with cheesecloth or some other catcher, or do this outside.

Once the tub is about half full, you can add liquid starch.  This will “size” the paper or make it better for writing on, as it prevents the paper pulp from soaking up the ink.  About 2 teaspoons should be adequate.  A few drops of white glue can be used, as well as a tablespoon of cornstarch. 

Place the screen frame on bottom with screen up, and the empty frame on top.  Stir up the pulp.  Holding the frames tightly together, scoop them into the pulp and level them under the water.  Lift them straight out of the water/pulp.  Let the water drain out of the pulp through the screen.  Check the thickness of the pulp. If the paper looks too thin, add more pulp to the tub and dip again. If it looks too thick, add some water and re-dip the screen. If you make a mistake at this point you can wash your screens off in the pulp and start over. 

Once you feel the thickness is good, lift the top frame straight off the bottom frame without disturbing the pulp.  Lay out a towel and a cloth (Jcloth) over it.  Place the edge of the frame on the towel and lay it down pulp side down on the cloth.  Using the sponge or dishcloth, dab the back of the screen to remove water.  Press hard, wringing out the cloth as it gets wet.  Once it is somewhat dryer, lift the frame off the paper.  If the paper lifts with the screen, flick the screen gently until the paper falls off.  Fold the towel over the paper and squeeze more water out.  Using the Jcloth, move the paper to somewhere it can lay to dry on a clean sheet or paper.

Before making the paper, many things can be added to the pulp to add variety and interest to your paper.  Try adding:

Dried flower petals

Flower heads

Grass

Leaves

Hay

Seeds

Tea

Food coloring

Bits of yarn and string

Cotton pulp

Tin foil

Dryer lint  

Glitter

Another interesting variation is to make “imprints” on your paper.  Before pressing the paper flat, place interesting shapes on it, such as buttons, metal shapes, puzzle pieces, shoe treads, cords, etc.  After pressing the paper, these will leave an “embossed” impression on your finished product.  Have fun making and using your homemade paper!!