Paper Making!

Tear paper in small pieces. Soak in warm water for 2 hours, at least.


Scoop out a handful of wet paper and put in a mixer.


Mix until it's the consistency of thick soup.


Pour water into a shallow pan. How much is anybody's guess.


Scoop out a few handfuls of paper pulp and swish it around in the pan of water.


Evil screen. Take your evil screen and put a frame on it.


Scoop out some pulp and put it on your frame. We used a star shaped frame to make star shaped paper.


The next few steps involved way too much water and wetness for me to take pictures. After you put pulp on the screen, you put the whole frame into water and wiggle around gently to make sure the pulp is spread out evenly. GENTLY, mind you! Then, you CAREFULLY, (not fiercely)remove the frame from the evil screen. Cover your paper, still on the evil screen, carefully turn it over. Then (this is my favorite part) carefully lift the screen off your paper. HA! Good luck with THAT step. If you ever do get your paper off the screen, place it on the press.We started with a star, now we have a circle!



Cover your paper with another piece of dry cloth. Put the lid on your press, tighten the screws and press the excess water out. You should know however, if you have a plastic press and you twist the screws enough to get all the excess water out of the paper, the screws will break. Just so you know.

Anyway, after you've pressed the water out of the paper and broken your screw, remove the broken pieces of your press and the top cloth carefully from your paper. Carefully move the bottom cloth (with your paper on it)off the press and let it sit undisturbed for 24 hours. And then BAM!



There's your paper!!!