Deviation

I've never been tested for ADD. My mother would say she doesn't believe in such thing. My sister swears I'm 'hyper'. My husband calls me crazy. Honestly, I just get bored doing the same thing day in and day out. In order to avoid a tediousness life, I delve into a lot of projects at once.

This past weekend, I read a story in Better Homes and Garden about an artist living in a small space. The article focused on her her ability to organize her space more so than on her art. I was curious about her art, so I looked her up on line and read part of her blog. One of the interesting things she does is make tags out of her scrap paper. I was intrigued because I have to bins full of scraps.

So, I made a special trip to Michaels to purchase a tag cutter and eyelets to try my hand at making my own tags.

The tag cutter produces a cute little tag that measures approximately two inches in length and about one inch is width. At the small end of the tag, you insert an eyelet so that you can string ribbon through to attach your tag. The eyelets are inserted with a gromet tool and a hammer. It took me 25 minutes and 14 eyelets scattering across my table and into my carpet to get one 1/8 inch eyelet into one tag. I'm not sure I have the patience to finish the other 12 tags that I have cut out.

My other purchase at Michaels as an edge cutter. Martha Stewart has the largest assortment of design choices. I used some of my prettiest red paper and created scalloped edge cards. Now, I know it's not a stop-the-press craft. But using an edge cutter is new to me and it kept me entertained all weekend. I'm really proud of my newest paper project. I guess having ADD, being hyper and crazy pay off... it keeps me creating. And the best part is, my cards are hand made...by me, for you.

The Internet is a Resource

Why do I like handmade paper so much? I think it's because of the character it holds in each unique sheet. I love texture, and I love things that are unusual. I knew when I started researching paper making that I wanted my paper to have a special feel. As much as I enjoy a clean, white, crisp, new sheet of paper, I wanted to make something that was interesting to touch.

The Internet is the only place I know of to find "interesting". You Tube is full of videos on papermaking and that's where I spent most of my research. Isn't it ironic that I love book, but I hate to read. I love the touch of paper, but my research is via an electronic method.

Paper is made of fiber, and we can find fiber in many products. The most interesting paper making video involved the use of elephant dung to make paper. Talk about interesting to touch. I'm positive that I'll never use any dung to make paper, but the concept of breaking down the fiber and turning it into a beautiful sheet of paper facinates me.

Remember, I'm all about the simple part of life. To my delight, I found a very simple process to making paper--scraps of recycle paper, water, a blender to make pulp, a plastic screen and wood frame, and massive amounts of water.

I made my first sheet of paper from recycled paper found in my office. And then I became bored... so it was back to the computer and more research.

Plant products are another source of fiber. My yard is full of daffodils, day lilies and tulips in the Spring, so again, I had an abundance of product to use. My first sheet of paper made from day lilies smelled like fresh hay from the field. After about a week, the hay smell disappeared. The paper held a unique color of light green with tiny pieces of the day lily leaves weaving through the paper.

I use baking soda to break down plant fiber. I hate the idea of using chemicals. Sometimes I've had to cook the plant fiber on the stove for six hours to break it down, but I'm pleased with myself for using natural products instead of anything toxic.

The brown sheets on top are handmade paper, made of onion skins. The yellow paper and the white paper are made of recycled office paper.

Handmade journal

My Journey in Book and Paper Making

Shopping for anything, especially clothes has never been an enjoyment, for me. But a trip to a library, or a book store or even a craft store fills me with pleasure. I love paper.

As a child, in the 1960's, my mom would occasionally treat my siblings and I to a special treat at a local department store, challenging us to spend no more than a dollar on our purchase. My selection was usually a book of paper dolls, filled with color and texture and imagination. Those paper dolls became the start of my obsession with paper.

I love the texture and smell of handmade paper. I love single sheets of paper, in multitude of colors. In grade school, I would look at the crisp, white sheet of paper on my desk and wish I never had to ruin its new-ness.

I love paper in books. Journals are my favorite, especially line-less journals that give me the ability to write outside the lines of conformity. I love to record a journey or an event in a journal. Line-less paper offers itself to my free-form thoughts. I'm not a scrapper, although I have a great appreciation for those who enjoy scrap booking as a creative outlet.

For me, I want simple. And yet, because of my love of paper, I've taken on the task of learning how to make paper and journals by hand.

Several years ago, on a television show called 'be simple' or 'be creative' (I can't recall the show's name, anymore). The host made a very simple paper book by folding several sheets of white construction paper in half. She painted each page in a different color, with different shapes and designs on each page. She cut notches in the folded side and then looped thin wooden skewers through the notches. To secure the notches, she wrapped twine

I was so fascinated by the creativeness of the booklet that I set myself to make one. I was pleased with my results, but had no idea what to do with it, so I packed it away in a box.

Last year, a friend of mine, who I hadn't seen in a few years, experienced a horrific car accident while she was visiting her parents in Oklahoma. I wanted to send her something special, but just couldn't decide what was appropriate. As I was digging through my boxes, I found this booklet that I had made. On each of the pages, I placed a photograph that meant something to me and scribed my thoughts. The pages came to life and I was so pleased with the end results that I wanted to create more.

There were design flaw in the original, so I started researching book binding on the Internet, which lead me to researching handmade paper, which lead me to my current project of making handmade paper, handmade note cards and handmade journals.

This blog will represent my experiences, my thoughts and my journey in to the world of paper.