To begin with, it looks like the items needed could be a pain to get hold of, however have a good look because it isn't actually that difficult to get hold of the items and the paper would be trully unique.
I'm thinking of using the "recipe" for paper for my BoS and thought you would appreciate me sharing this with you.
Wiccan Z, so did I but wouldn't you agree that sometimes the simplest of things are best?
It's also been posted for people who have not done it before or have forgotten about doing or even how to do it.
They main reason I'm going to use it for my BoS is because of the fact that I feel the more energy I've put into making it the better. And I'm sure quite a few of you would agree?
Celtic_Luna! I adore making my own paper too! I used to do it a lot but now-a-days I do it less simply because I’ve decided at my age I just want more time for other things. There are so many ways to be creative doing it!
With your permission I have an old piece I wrote on this topic some time ago and I’d love to share it here as it gives a few tips that aren’t included in the article? I of course will NOT post it unless you’d like to see it here in this thread.
This is an old post of mine elsewhere. I save them because I sometimes find them useful at future dates. So if you see something that seems like it isn’t quite for here, well it isn’t lol. It’s from the time I wrote it which was quite a while back.
Much of what Celtic_Luna posted is way better than what I have here and I’m entirely self taught when it comes to this process but there are a few tips you might enjoy.
Make your own paper for your BOS, or spell working, or to make incense strips, or for any other purpose you desire.
Start with this:
*“Hard†product. This can be parchment paper, regular typing paper, tissue paper that you put in wrapped packages. I’ve even saved the lint from my dryer when I’ve washed white cottons and used that.
*Water
*Blender
*Picture frame about the same size you want your paper to be (just a little larger)
*VERY fine wire mesh.
*Staple gun
*Towels
*Two pieces of Plexiglas (cut at your local hardware store) of the size you want your paper to be
*Something to use as weights (Books work fine, bricks, whatever.)
*Soaking pan
*Iron and ironing board
*Decorative/magical bits of whatever, plant matter, string, and so on (This is the most fun creative part!)
First make your frame. Do that by stretching the wire mesh inside the picture frame. Pull it VERY tight and staple it inside the frame using the staple gun.
Take your “hard†material and combine it with water. I do this in a blender. Blend it really, really well until the hard product and water make a kind of emulsion. You really can’t over blend it at this point. Add whatever decorative or magical items you wish at this point, after the main blending has been done. Flower petals are nice; most herbs are suitable, with parsley being particularly nice. Pulse the blender just enough so that the decorative items are broken up small enough that they won’t flake away from the paper after it dries. The one exception to this is if you are using string or thread. It can, and often does get tangled up in the blender. If you use colored string, or thread, pour the emulsion into a bowl and then stir in the thread.
Pour some water into your soaking pan and then lay your frame in the pan. Pour the emulsion into the soaking pan. It is really important that the emulsion distributes itself evenly so take some time with this part of the process. How thick your paper is when it is finished will depend on how much hard product you’ve used in your emulsion and the amount of water in your soaking pan. This is just something you have to learn by trial and error. Sorry I don’t measure so I can’t help you.
Gently lift and shake the frame. Do that until you have the frame out of the water, this sets the hard product evenly too. Lay the frame on a towel and leave it there until the paper is almost dry.
Lay one of the Plexiglas forms down on top of the frame. Flip the frame over so that the Plexiglas is on the bottom and then very carefully lift the frame away so that only the new made paper remains on the Plexiglas. Take the 2nd piece of Plexiglas and lay it perfectly evenly on top of the Plexiglas holding the new made paper.
Lay the two pieces of Plexiglas on a new, dry towel and put the weights on top of them. This point is important as it not only smoothes the paper it also forces the fibers to bond to some extent, more than they have already. Leave like that until almost totally dry.
Using a very sharp exacto knife, or box cutter or such, run it along the edges of the Plexiglas to perfectly trim the edges. (If perfectly trimmed edges are desired. If not this step can be skipped.)
Put the newly created paper on an ironing board and iron on a fairly low heat. Again set aside to make sure it is totally and perfectly dry. I do this especially if I’ve used steam in the ironing process.
