Have you ever made some Handmade paper?

Hi friends,

That's a question I like to ask all of you.  Have you every made your own paper at home from an electric blender and scrap pieces of cardstock?

A few years ago when we were living in Sunny California, I had some really fun friends who loved the crafting adventure of trying new things.  That is when I introduced them to my experimenting with making our own paper.  Of course you need a few items to make your paper but in the end, it is fun playing with water and fibers.......

The reason why I am talking about this today, is simply to introduce you to my newest card, which after cleaning my Studio a few weeks ago I came across my shoe box full of that paper I had made over 6 years ago.  That was so much fun as it brought so much awesome memories...."We had gathered about 10 of us into Phyllis's garage on a Summer day, prepared to make paper.  We all had saved our scraps from making cards and scrapbooking and we were a bunch of determined ladies who were up for the adventure.  We had so much laughter, but overall, that day was successful as we had made some really nice paper, some with rose petals from their own gardens and more fibers we were all trying to experiment with. 

If some day you are interested to go outside of the box, literally, make some paper.  Arnold Grummer's website is a good way to start and see how it is made with his videos, if you can find a cheap blender at a Goodwill store, a paper mill and, you are on your way to making paper.  I have a few of his books and tricks to make paper with flower specks and other fun looks I have gotten to really appreciate all the ways we can make paper.  That also includes making paper with cheap toilet paper mixed with your cardstock.  Etc......

Here is my handmade paper stash photo

Now here is what I made with some of my own paper a few days ago:

 

 

 

 

HEART PIECE:
I hope the photo is showing you all of the details and more.  This card was so fun to make.  I had to make my own heart so I cut out one heart size appropriate for my 5.5 inch square card.  The next step was to sew this to a backing CS as well as adding some tulle and cheesecloth that I had dyed from re-inkers for ink pads.  I put all of these layers together and sewn all of it at once.  I sandwiched the cardstock heart for a bottom layer, then tulle, cheesecloth, and finally my own paper.  I sewn all of the layers together and cut out the excess of material to have a semi clean look around the heart. 

FLOWER & LEAVES:
From the flowers I had made this Summer, I picked a rose that would coordinate best with my existing pink ink.  Inked up some leaves, made some pig tails with soft wire, shaped leaves until desired look was obtained, some stamens were added along with some strings of pearls.

TIPS & TRICKS:
I don't recommended to use handmade paper with slightly to extremely intricate wafer dies as this paper is thicker than the normal cardstock we all know and use regularly.  The texture of the handmade paper is slightly thicker and if pulled on when slightly wet, it will come apart easily.  So I recommend this paper for basic shapes for best results.  It can also be used for a card base, it will offer a Vintage look you never thought would be so attractive. (read more about products to use while making paper if interested)

Last but not least, I cut out my card base 5.5 inches square which would open like double doors at the front of the card.  Then, as you can see on the photos, I cut out 2 separate pieces of this handmade paper for the front of the card and did thinner strips inside of the card as well.  I stamped my Cardstock with my chosen stamp first (Justrite Stampers - Birthday Floral Clear, CR02106) then added my strips on each side that were cut with the help of a straight edge ruler where I wanted to cut by slightly spraying water to get the paper fiber wet where I was going to cut to give it a rough edge all the way around through.  Inked up the edges and rolled a bit while the paper was still wet for a parchment look.

I hope you enjoyed my different card today.  I don't make cards with my paper often but I needed to show you how I made this one.  It is fun to go outside of a craft comfort zone from time to time and see what there is to discover.  Some we love, while some we know we will not re-visit anytime soon. lol  Sounds familiar?

Have a fantastic day!  Back to crafting I go!  Thanks for visiting.
More to come....I have a few more cards to show you