This is such a fun and easy craft.
You will need:
Paper (gather lots of colored paper scraps from around your library. This is a great way to recycle old fliers and such! Tear the paper into strips, or shred if you have shredder.)
Water (it is handy to have pitchers at the ready if you are not having your program near a sink)
Seeds (flower seeds are best, you could do vegetables, but I worry a little about the chemicals that are in colored paper, and the inks used on them.)
Blender
Lots of old towels
Cheesecloth
Screens (I actually use skillet spatter guards because they fit nicely over a bowl. You can make your own screens using a wood frame and screening from a hardwear store. But I am much too lazy to do that!)
Bowls
Let the paper soak in bowls of water for a few minutes. You can mix up the colors to see what will happen, or just stick with one color.
Then dump the paper and the water into a blender. You may need to add more water if things aren't blending. The resulting mush should look like watery oatmeal. (Yum.) If you are adding seeds, this would be the time to do it. Don't blend too much with seeds in there. We want to keep them intact! Just give it a good stir.
Then dump the whole mixture onto a screen with a bowl underneath. You will want to spread this out with your fingers, or a spoon until it is mostly flat. Take the screen off the bowl and lay it on a towel. Then press gently over it with cheesecloth.
When you feel you have gotten all the water out that you can (you may have to ring out the cheesecloth a couple times), gently tip the screen upside down over wax paper or another surface that will allow it to dry. It usually takes over night to dry, but some people swear that hair dryers work, too.
This paper can be ironed after it is completely dry as it may have warped a little. Just use a very low setting!
Now you are ready to make fun greeting cards or whatever other creative uses you have thought up!
Yay!
Photos and ideas from www.makeandtakes.com
Friday, June 18, 2010
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