Homemade Paper

Paper making is a fun process with a super amazing result. The basics are simple and you can change almost everything in the process and create different papers.

Tools you will need are:

Blender

Pieces of cloth, two times of number of papers you’re going to make

Embroidery hoop or anything you can use as a frame

Large container

Wood planks or anything you can use to press the papers, like a large pot

and the needed materials are only:

Waste papers

Water

Step 1: Cut and Blend

First of all, you need to roughly cut your waste paper in pieces of about 2*1 centimeters size. I love this sound papers make while cutting!

Next, blend the papers with water. Fill the blender with one part of the cut papers and two parts of water. Mix until the papers are completely destructed. The number of papers you make depends on the amount of waste paper you cut and blend in this step. However, it might help to know that I filled the blender twice and made four pieces of paper at the end. You can boil the mixture in this step to have a softer texture in your paper, but you can also skip this boiling part, as I did. (because I love to find pieces of words and letters in the papers I make:) )

Step 2: Prepare Your Frame and Base

Using the embroidery hoop, you are going to pick some of the paper mixture several times and then take the cloth out of it with your not-ready-yet paper on it to press and dry the paper. So choose an embroidery hoop that it is easy for you to open and close it constantly.

You need to prepare a base, something like this, to put the wet embroidery hoop and paper mixture on it. I used other waste papers, but you can use some cloth or anything that consumes water.

Step 3: Make the Paper

Pour the paper mixture in a large pot or container. The size of it depends on the size of your embroidery hoop.

Now stir your mixture and before the paper pieces deposit, put the hoop (or your frame) in the pot and pick up some of the mixture. The thickness of your paper depends on the amount of, what should I call it, paper dough remained in your frame, after the unwanted water has left through the cloth.

At this step, you can add dried flowers, colorful paper flakes or even smelly spices like cinnamon. Whatever you like can be added to your paper, but mind the fact that the ultimate goal of a paper, is to write on it!

Anyway, put the hoop on the base you prepared before and open the embroidery hoop. Carefully take the cloth out with the so-called paper dough on it. Leave the hoop alone till the next round of paper making.

Step 4: Press and Dry

You have your round baby paper on a piece of cloth now. Put another one on it and carefully move it to your press area. You need to use your weight to press the paper as hard as you can to get rid of the extra water faster and also to make pieces of your paper dough stick tight together. The pressing will make the area wet and if you want to work clean, you might rather do it somewhere appropriate.

After that pressing is done, put the cloth and the will-be-ready-soon paper some place warm and wait for it to dry. If you are impatient to see the result, try ironing. However, I don't recommend wasting electricity on something sun can do easily. :)