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!

The American Dream ??? and upcoming new blog layout

Well I have to admit I just disappeared, quit writing, and have no good excuse for it.  Ok, maybe I do have a good excuse.  

First of all, I was married in May of this year! As a creative person the moment I knew of my upcoming  nuptials I was excitedly figuring out what I could make for the event.  This ended up being quite a bit of handmade "stuff"that my now new husband and I had to lug over 1,000 miles on the car ride from Ohio to Florida.  We had a beautiful, magical, and surreal wedding on a beautiful island off the west coast of southern Florida.  The little island, only accessible by ferry or plane, is known as Upper Captiva Island and it is one of the best kept secrets (until now) of that area.  My family has lived in Florida most of their lives and didn't even know this place existed.  : )

Anyway,

So things have slowed for me and I have begun to battle in my head whether all this work to be a creative, self-employed person is worth it in the end.  I have had thoughts such as do I want to go back to school and change career paths.  I thought about heading to the school today to talk to an advisor and I probably will eventually do this anyway cause I am interested. 

I woke up today and listened to a local marketing mentor and it started my wheels a turning again.  Have I done the best job possible in marketing my products? Have I put all I am in into this venture?  I think at moments in my Pulpa adventure I have and then there are moments I lose all motivation.  

I am sure I am not the only one that deals with this.  I know many an artist and crafter that struggle, small business owners trying to make enough to support their families and yet not give up that "thing" they love, believe in, and have built.  It's the American Dream, but is it a reality?


Part of regaining my motivation and redirecting my sails, so to speak in my business life, is getting this blog back online and out to you folks that have probably been wondering what happened to me.  I enjoy writing and sharing so this is healthy and I find you will all become my therapists distantly in allowing me to babble and share my thoughts, muses, and wonderings of the week with you.  

I do think I need more organization in my life as well, so my intention is to set the blog out into 3 scheduled blog writings every week.  

• MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY - this will and can cover anything as long as it motivates me or others.  Anything that inspires people to DO, CREATE, HELP, INSPIRE.  I am looking forward to sharing and finding things for this day of the week. How uplifting, right?
• WHIMSY WEDNESDAY - We all could use a little more whimsy in our lives! : )~ whim·syˈ(h)wimzē/noun playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor  Whimsy Wednesday will include art, crafts, and other products I find that put more whimsy into my life. 
• FIBER FRENZY FRIDAY - This is the day to check in and learn about everything paper.  We will discuss how to make paper at home, cook down fibers, recycle junk mail, look at handmade paper art either I, or others, have made.  It all about the paper!  :)