HOME MADE PAPER
The process of makeing home made paper is a fun craft. If you haven't tried it yet I suggest that you jump into it. Age has no limit...totts love it too.
You can buy supplies in kits at the hobby stores or crafts stores or you can RECYCLE the newspapers, old cards, wrapping paper, jumk mail or what ever paper you might have. Tear it up into one inch pieces and fill your blender half way with paper and fill with water and blend about 30 seconds or until mushy. You'll need a few things...strainer, large plastic bowl, some food coloring for colored paper..just a few drops, an embroidery hoop covered with cheese cloth, sponges, and towels. Strain the pulp through the strainer. I like to squeeze out some of the water with my hands. If the plastic molds have faces put the paper pulp into the indented areas first and as you work tilt mold to be sure there are no air or water bubbles on the front side. Continue filling the mold and taking a sponge to pat the pulp absorbing as much water as possible. The embroidery hoop with cheese cloth can be used for round flat pieces of note paper or frisbees. Just Kidding!:-D You have to wait until they dry completely. You can give them a little help with a hair dryer, or fan and even a food dehydrator on a very low setting. Natural over night drying I recomended. Paper will come out easily. If you use a kit be sure to read the instructions. They use a paper that needs additives and if to much is used it can cause the paper to stick to the mold. It also can become to shiny and decorating would be difficult. Decorate with ceramic paint, acrylic or water colors for a soft effect. To use stampers, stamp your designs on tissue paper and color it as you like. Then on your flat paper as it is ready to dry gently lay it onto the damp paper, making it one with your hand made paper. When completely dry and painted and coated with a gloss or satin sealer you can glue ribbons or gold strings for hangers on orniments. Glue with "ALEENE'S" Thick Designer Tacky Glue.(alternative to the glue gun. EXTRA orniments are glitter, silk roses, lace, sequins shells, stones and any pretty you have around the house. Broken jewlry,or how about buttons.
This is paper mache made in a plastic angel mold. When dry it was painted white, antiqued in light blue. When that dried I painted on a pearl glossy finish.
This a paper mache flower also made in a plastic mold and when dry I base coated it in Indian red and then used gold leaf to finish it.You can use many different techniques to finish the items you make and they make pretty and light weight orniments.
You can use the plastic clear candy molds. They have some nice ones for all occasions.
Hope you like it as much as I do.