Handmade paper with rich textures – Image by virtually_supine
Back in the 1980′s sometime, I took a one day course on paper-making that opened up an ancient craft to me in these modern times when we have so many more options than they did thousands of years ago. We can cheaply buy all the paper we want for practically pennies, but the satisfaction of making your own beautiful paper is priceless – and the beauty of it is unsurpassed by the mass-produced plain white pages of today. You can make paper in your own home – but before you press the paper, you need to create the slurry!
About Paper:
Paper is crushed wood fiber: simply put, it’s just broken down cellulose that is fitted back together with lots of embellishments, or even none at all. Ah, the creativity that is possible with papermaking is endless, and is limited only by the imagination.
Where Do I Get Cellulose? I’m Not Chopping Down a Tree!
Don’t worry – you don’t need to chop any trees down! You can use any old paper you have around the house for this project. Just avoid glossy paper like that in magazines. Examples of recyclable paper products:
- egg cartons
- old newspaper
- grocery store paper bags
- toilet paper or paper towel rolls
- any cardboard without shiny print
- old Christmas cards
- construction paper
- paper napkins
- any writing, typing, computer paper
- practically anything made of paper that does not have the shiny, colored printed surfaces on it
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