Discover how to make your own recycled paper the easy way with this tutorial. This is a fun craft to do with kids at home using materials you already have on hand. I hope you enjoy!
Did anyone else make paper at summer camp? I always loved making my own paper, but I don't have a frame with screen in it and all that technical stuff. (The real names for the equipment you're supposed to use are "mold and deckle.")
I don't have those items and my husband, the one who knows how to actually build things, is out to sea, so I decided to make my own paper using items I already had at home.
The paper isn't as uniform in size or thickness as it would be with the 'right' equipment, but I like its rustic appearance and think it's a great way to use some paper scraps!
This post may include affiliate links, which means I may make a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
Supplies to Make Recycled Paper
- Paper scraps
- Scissors
- A medium bowl
- Water
- A blender or immersion blender
- A grease splatter screen
- A rimmed baking sheet
- A pie pan or glass baking dish
- A hair dryer (optional)
- Add-ins like glitter, bits of ribbon, seeds, etc. (optional)
How to make recycled paper
1. Cut or tear your paper scraps into small pieces. They don't need to be super tiny, but try not to make them too big, either. Most of my pieces were about an inch long and maybe ¼" wide. My scraps were irregular, but mostly I just made little parallel cuts in the paper as if I were creating a fringe and then cut the fringe off to easily make small pieces. Place the pieces in a medium bowl as you cut them.
2. Pour enough cool water into your bowl to just cover your paper and push the scraps down into the water if it's trying to float. Let the paper soak for a couple of hours, or until it's soft and mushy. You can put the bowl in the fridge, if you'd like, but it really isn't necessary unless it's very warm in your house.
3. Once the paper is mushy, either transfer it to a blender or use an immersion blender to process it until it forms a thick pulp. I used my immersion blender and it worked just fine - I really liked that I could see how processed the paper was becoming and could leave some larger scraps intact. If the mixture is too dry to form a pulp, add a little extra water.
Edi
I love how you use supplies you have on hand to make your tutorials. Creative use of the splatter screen 🙂
I made handmade paper for a 4-H project one year in junior high. It was always fun to add to my scrapbooks!
Natashalh
We never did anything that cool in 4-H, but I was part of a really small group of private school kids and we didn't do that much, in general. It was still fun, though!
duni
This reminds me of when I lived in the big city - I watched a Japanase artisan make paper. It was fascinating. Your version is so cool! I like the idea of using it for a mixed media art work 🙂
Natashalh
I bet that was neat!