Fiber Frenzy Friday - Present Project Path

Here are a few photographs from a current project I am working on in cahoots with Beta by Design and Granville Elementary Schools.  

The paper was pulled thickly and varnished on one side for increased durability as well as making the outside of the covers water-resistant.  

Sizing has been added to all the sheets and cover to water proof that paper itself as well.  

This ensures that if the paper were to get wet it will not turn right back into pulp!

These will be the front and back cover to a 10x10 illustrated book.  

The book will tell the story of the "Blue Ace" the school mascot.   The children are writing the story and compiling illustrations now.  I am excited to the book upon completion.  I will make sure to share it with you all in a later blog.

The embroidery thread you see here will be used to bind the book together.  : ) I wasn't sure exactly what shade I wanted so I grabbed a few.  

I decided upon the darkest one below.  What do you think?

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper,

Erin

Motivational Monday - Warmth on Frigid Days

I am busy amidst a couple projects as well as getting ready for upcoming art shows this spring, summer, and fall.  I am excited to get out into the sunshine and share my creations.

Alas, I am stuck inside and have been for awhile due to frigid conditions in Ohio.  We also have had about 8 inches of snow in the last couple of days.  Although, Ohio isn't the only state experiencing these below zero temperatures.  It is much of the United States, right now.  

The only things that motivate me on day like today are warm mittens and hot cups of coffee or tea.

But also ….this little heater motivates me to move around and get stuff done.  

Without this warm friend I would be in a shivering ball under a blanket doing absolutely nothing.

Please leave a comment below telling me where you are from and how the weather is looking for you right now. 

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper,

Erin

Fiber Frenzy Friday - Paper & Lace

I have been busy in the studio this week pulling sheets and beating pulps and I am going to share with you a beautiful, almost edible, creamy hued, vintage-esque sheet I created a couple of days ago.

   

I used a raw umber and yellow ochre pigmented pulp and and an old piece of lace.  I mixed the 2 colors of pulp on my mold and deckle to firstly form a thin sheet to put the lace onto.  I left it rather mushy and unpressed.  I then removed the mold (remember, the empty frame) from the deckle (the frame covered in screen/silkscreen) and laid the piece of cloth across the deckle and pulp so that it fell over the sides.  I then poured just the raw umber thinly over the top of that.

back of sheet detail

back of sheet detail

I love the way the paper thins and feathers allowing bits of lace to become more visible throughout.

sunlight shining through

1" lace edging

 

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper,

Erin

Fiber Frenzy Friday - Seed Paper Favors

Seashells

 Pulpa offers a line of seed paper favors that will match just about any theme can you dream up.  :)  With so many colors to offer Pulpa will do it's best to make sure your favor matches your event.  

Click this link for a 15% off coupon good until the end of year!!

www.coxpon.com/coupon/?coupon_id=148

Flowers

If the quantity on my website is not suitable for what you need please convo me and I will set up a custom listing for what you need.  

Customized Hearts

 If you are interested in purchasing any of these unique favors, please visit www.pulpa.etsy.com to get your order under way.  You say you don't see a design that suits you.  Tell me what you are looking for and I will do my best to make your vision come to fruition.  

Stars

Keep in mind Pulpa's favors are "tree free".  So not only are these favors totally unique, they are earth-friendly as well.  Go green, Go Pulpa for your next event!

Tulips with 3 layers of seed paper!

www.pulpa.etsy.com

www.pulpapaperproducts.com

P.S- click this link for a 15% off coupon good until the end of year!!

www.coxpon.com/coupon/?coupon_id=148

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper,

Erin

Fiber Frenzy Friday - Paper Making Integrated Science Class

Photography by Rachael Moore

Project Aspire is a non-profit organization helping to integrate art into many subjects and branches of knowledge in the classroom.  This organization is aware of the different ways in which children learn.  The work has shown that students retain information much better with hands on/art related activities and that these activities also further their over all understanding of the topic.

Just a couple weeks ago I volunteered my time at a Columbus, Ohio public school to teach science class through paper-making.  I came across this wonderful opportunity with my connections to Rachael Moore who is a partner in Project Aspire.

Photography by Rachael Moore

The above picture shows Rachael Moore going over the process of paper making with the students.  In this particular class Rachael and the students are going to make five different types of paper.  Each sheet of paper will represent a different soil layer.  They were covering the first five levels of soil.

Organic

Photo by Rachael Moore

Topsoil

Photo by Rachael Moore

Subsoil

Photo by Rachael Moore

Parent Material

Photo by Rachael Moore

Bedrock

Photo by Rachael Moore

I am so thrilled Rachael and Ms. HS allowed me in the classroom that day.  It was educational not only for the children, but also for myself.  Thank you Rachael and Ms. HS!!!

Photo by Rachael Moore

One class/period was able to make seed bombs for all the children that were involved in that science class.  I am sure they loved being able to make something they could take home and show the family!

Photo by Rachael Moore

 Peace, Love, and Art in Schools,

Erin

Fiber Frenzy Friday - Seed Bombs

Seed Bombs for wedding favors dyed to your color - Big Hit!!!

Can you believe that these lil' boogers are my biggest seller?  

Throw and Grow!!! 1.5 - 2" balls

Throw these over that cute little hillside you live in or just moisten and tear apart and plant wherever you like!
Colors will vary package to package! It just depends on the little extra bits of pulp I have lying around.
Packaged in a clear cello packaging for protection.

Species of flowers included in this mix:
Coneflower, Purple 
Flax, Scarlet
Coreopsis, Lance Leaved

Fiber Frenzy Friday - Basic Paper-making Tools

Before I so rudely disappeared from blogging, I tempted you followers with the next blog theme of making paper from junk mail.  I do want to get to that no doubt and very likely will do that for our next Fiber Frenzy Friday.

I think it is more important that we first discuss the basic tools you will need for paper-making.  This way if you decide you want to follow along and make paper you will have a week from now to get your tools together.  Even if you decide you don't want to follow along as I post you will be able to come back and more chronologically understand the tools, process, and later on more advanced techniques of paper-making.

Basic Paper-Making Tools

1. Buckets - needed for transporting water from sink to vats. Also used for squeezing excess water out of sponges.
   
2. Sponges - needed for pressing and sponging water out of sheet of paper
   
3. Vinyl Screen - used to put over wet sheet before sponging out water, also used to cover mold and deckle (used in sheet formation) this is the same thing that is on a screen door.  You want vinyl because this will be submersed in water and you don't want it to rust.  (you will also need staples to attach your screen to your mold, try and grab the waterproof staples)
   
4. Mold and Deckle - 2 frames of the same size (the mold is screened, the deckle is not),          A term popular to handmade paper is the deckle edge and refers to the rough edge that is so desirable in handmade paper.  You can see the deckle edge in the photograph below.                             
   

Couching Cloths - pieces of cloth slightly larger than the sheets you are making. these are a great place to flip you wet sheets onto so that you can free your mold for more paper-making.  :)  Professional couching cloths are somewhat expensive, you can also pick up white felt and just double or triple the layers to thicken it up if you are going to stack and use a press.  or put onto a thin piece of felt, hand press, and line dry.

6. Kitchen Blender - used to pulp/blend recycled papers or fibers

***Now you know the necessary tools for making paper! It's fairly simple to get started.  You can start making your own handmade paper and adding it to your own handmade creations. 

Ideas for Using Your Handmade Paper

• wrapping handmade soaps
• labels/price tags
• cards, business cards
• gift wrap
• handmade cards

Tune in next Friday for directions on pulping and forming sheets of handmade paper out of junk mail! Let's all do our part in helping to reduce, reuse, and recycle!

Monday is our first Motivational Monday, so tune in for a little lift!

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper!

Handmade Paper Torsos: Functional Art

I started making these torsos as wall-art.  I give each one a personality, charm, and name of their own.  This particular torso is unnamed because jewelry makers are catching on to how wonderful these are as jewelry/necklace displays.  She is a pure white cotton with an addition of flower petals at her base.  These are very light-weight and easy to hang.  They are varnished to make them water-resistant.  I actually have had one on my bathroom wall for quite some time holding all my long chains and necklaces that get knotted up if I lay them down.

One may think that because these lovely ladies are made of paper that they must be fragile. This is just not the case.  The cotton fiber is molded thickly and is much stronger than commercially made, wood pulp.  Keep in mind she has also been varnished for added strength and durability.

This torso, named appropriately "Autumn", is covered in authentic Ohio fall leaves.  I love how some of the organic materials I put into the pulp bleed out as the piece dries.  Sometimes it's hard to tell how a piece will look until it is completely dry.  I love the unexpectedness that creating art can sometimes bring. 

Reese is definitely a lady of passion and intensity.  She locks her love away safely and owns the key.  She won't take lightly to a broken heart. So if you can't love her, don't take her home.  If you are pining for her affection, perhaps you can steal away with her key.  I am sure if you let her into yours home she will let you into her heart.

Shiva is a great warrior, not to be trifled with. She is my version of the female form of the God Shiva the destroyer, she is responsible for change and transformation through death and destruction in a physical sense, but also of the ego. She envelops the positive and the negative.

This is an untitled piece done a few years ago before I started naming my torsos. I think she is awfully pretty.  She was molded with multi-colored pulps and left to dry.  Then she was spray painted and gold leafed.  I think I should do another gold leafed piece and call her "Alchemy".   I like it!