Tutorial Tuesday - Handmade Petal Paper.

Hello, Happy Shrove Tuesday all - hope you have enjoyed some scrummy, yummy pancakes, or are looking forward to some!

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday - I am still focusing on 'Hearts and Flowers' and today I will be showing you a lovely way to make the feeling of Valentine's Day last a little longer, by making handmade paper using the petals from your Valentine's Day bouquet! This would also work with dried lavender, string or glitter - whatever takes your fancy! The paper would be perfect to use in a Valentine's layout, or you can store it away to pull out and reminisce over, or you could make some paper using other petals to make a lovely Mother's Day card!

You can thank my eldest boy for this tute, as ever since I told him about making handmade paper as a child in school, he has been desperate to have a go, so here we go...

You will need:

2 Same size picture frames,

Mesh with small holes,

Glue gun & glue or Stapler & staples,

Lots of scrap paper, cut or shredded up,

Small tub for soaking the paper,

Water,

Large Tub (needs to be larger than your frames in order to get your hands in and submerge the frames.),

Flower Petals (or whatever you would like to add),

Old Towels or thick felt sheets,

Old baking sheet or tray,

Sponge,

Rolling pin,

An old spatula, (optional), and Sieve

Blender if you have one.

In this tutorial I don't use a blender (I don't have an old one I could use), so I have managed without it - you get a more chunkier, rustic looking paper. Blending the pulp is soooo much easier, so if you have one an old one, (no longer going to be used for food), to use then I recommend using it, otherwise you can do it how I do it.

First up I will show you how to make the 'Deckle' and 'Mold' using the picture frames...

Step 1:

Remove the glass and wooden back from both picture frames. Cut your mesh to be a few cm's larger than one of the frames all around...

(I used a plastic woven mat as my 'mesh' - it needs to be strong enough to hold the pulp without sagging, but have little holes in order to drain the water away. You can get garden mesh or window screen mesh from DIY shops.)

Step 2:

As my frame is plastic I will be using a glue gun to attach the mesh to it. If you are using wooden frames then a stapler and staples will work - just pull taught as you staple, do one side first then the opposite side and so on.

Run glue along each edge of the frame and tightly press the mesh into the glue (don't burn your fingers like I did!)...

...do the same on all remaining sides, making sure you pull taught so the mesh lies flat and there are no gaps...

...cut off any excess at the corners...

You don't have to do anything to the other frame as that will sit on top of the meshed frame and shape the paper...

Your Deckle, (frame-on-it's-own), and Mold (meshed-frame)!

Step 3:

Take your chosen paper and cut or shred into tiny squares, (the tinier the better if you are not using a blender)...

...soak your paper pieces in warm water for 1 - 2 hours...

...after it has soaked you can use your hands to rip it up a bit more into smaller pieces...

Step 4:

Separate the paper from the soaking water using an old sieve...

...mix one cup of paper with 2-3 cups of water until you get a thick porridgey consistency.

If you are using a blender then blend up this mixture until you get a thin oatmeal consistency.

Step 5:

Once blended or mixed, fill your large tub with 2 inches of water per blender or cup full...

(mix it up by hand a bit.)

...lay your deckle on top of the screen side of the mold and holding tightly lower into the tub on an angle...

...slowly push in to the water scooping up pulp / paper mixture...

...shake gentle to distribute the pulp evenly. I added a few handfuls of pulp and pushed into any gaps. Lift gently from the water, letting any excess water drain through the mesh back into the tub...

...you can use any off-cuts of mesh to place over the top of the paper and press and wipe with a tissue or sponge to remove a bit more water...

...wipe the back of the screen and remove the deckle to reveal the paper...

Step 6:

Lay an old towel or piece of felt over the paper and flip the whole thing over on to a flat tray. Press down a bit to remove some more water. Wipe the back of the mesh with a sponge...

You should be able to peel the paper off the screen by tapping and peeling. Mine didn't come off so easily, so I flipped it back over and using an old spatula, I lifted the edges gently til it lifted off. I then place it on the tray...

Step 7:

Sprinkle your flower petals, (or equivalent), onto your paper...

...lay your towel or a felt piece over the top and roll with a rolling pin - this will take off any residing moisture and will embed your petals, (or equivalent), into the paper...

...You can then do more pieces of paper and just layer on top of the first piece, separating them with towels or felt sheets to stop them from sticking. Leave the paper to dry overnight or longer if needed.

Voilà a pretty way to preserve your Valentine's or Mother's Day memories or just add a touch of rustica to your projects. 

I would love to see how you use yours!

I made some lovely Heart-shaped tags...

Have fun paper-making! I would love to see any projects you create - I hope to put together a Tutorial Gallery Page soon!

Have a lovely evening, and don't eat toooo many pancakes ;)

xx