Supplies for Homemade Paper:
- Bundle of scrap paper equal in mass to two full newspaper pages. You can use junk mail, magazines, construction paper, left-over newspapers, and the like to make your paper.
- A blender or food processor
- 2 tbs. white glue
- 2.5 cups of water
- sink filled with 4” of water
- old pantyhose and a coat hanger (or framed screening)
- iron
Optional Additives: These are put into the mixture after you’ve made the pulp for your homemade paper.
- food coloring
- essential oil
- dryer lint
- confetti or feathers
- sequins or glitter
- threads or lace
- cut up bits of ribbon or colored paper
- finely ground or diced dried herbs, flower petals, fruit fibers, or vegetable pieces
- tea leaves or coffee grounds
Process:
Preparation
If possible, choose a time and date that will benefit the type of energy with which you’re saturating the homemade paper. Next, take the coat hanger or another long piece of sturdy wire and bend it into a frame. The size of the frame should be equal to the size you want your paper to be when completed. While a square or rectangle shape is customary, you can change the shape if you wish as long as you have a way to safeguard the paper afterward. Stretch the hose over the frame so it’s flat and secure. Or, use framed screening like that for a door. Make several frames if possible so you can create more than one piece of paper at a time without a waiting period in between.
Mixing the Paper
Once the frames are put together, get the blender out. Put one-third of your scrap paper into the blender with a little bit of water. Use the high setting. Slowly add the rest of the paper and water until it’s completely incorporated. At this point, run the blender for two to three more minutes. If you want to add any of the optional ingredients that provide texture and/or darker colors, do so now and mix it by hand until the chosen substance is equally dispersed. For the spiritual dimension, make sure that the colors, herbs, or other additives match the theme presented by a particular part of your BOS.
Shaping and Setting the Paper
Put your frames in the bottom of the sink filled with water. If you want to add food coloring or scents, this is the time to do so. As before, match the colors and aromas to your magical purpose. Sprinkle the food coloring (or plant juice) and essential oil into the water, then pour your paper into the sink water, add the glue, and mix them together. For best results, pretend you’re kneading bread. Now, take the frame and slowly lift it through the water so it collects an even covering of paper fiber. Do this with each frame until all your paper pulp is used up. If you run out of frames and have leftover pulp, this can be frozen or stored for up to a week in your refrigerator and used again in your next batch.
Finishing Steps
Each frame has to dry completely. You can set them in a warm window, hang them off a clothesline, or whatever. When dry, the paper will peel away easily and you can reuse the frame for more sheets. Put the completed sheet on the ironing board with a cloth underneath it and iron using the high setting. This removes the last bits of water from the paper. Let your homemade paper dry again for at least forty-eight hours before using.
Clean Up
When cleaning up from this effort, I highly recommend taking the remnants outside or flushing them down the toilet a little at a time. Gather up the sink water and paper using a large cup or ladle and put it in a bucket with the wash water for the blender and dispose of it. The mixture tends to clog drains badly.