Step 1: Prepare Your Gathered Paper
Gather your choice of paper. You can choose old magazines, newspaper ads, phone books (minus the glossy cover), computer paper, notebook paper, cardboard that you have soaked in water, napkins, paper egg cartons, paper bags or construction paper. You can even use toilet tissue or facial tissue. If you use computer paper make certain it is unprinted. Now tear the paper into one inch squares.
Step 2: Prepare Your Deckle
Being sure that you have the size of frame that you like your paper to be, cut out a piece of screen to fit to the outer edges of the frame and staple or thumb tack the screen to the back of the frame. This is called the deckle.
Step 3: Process The Paper Pulp
Fill your basin or tub about half full with water. Process the paper by filling the blender or processor half full with the paper squares. Add water to fill the container for processing to the top and then process by turning on the machine just as if you were preparing a food or beverage. You will have to make several batches in this manner to create the paper.
Step 4: Add The Pulp To The Mixing Tub
Into your basin that you have filled half-way with water, place about three full loads of processed pulp. If you would like your paper to be especially heavy, add even more pulp. At this point you should add the liquid starch to the mixture. You want to add 2 teaspoons to each tub full. The liquid starch makes the paper better for writing on by preventing any ink from bleeding across the fibers.
Step 5: Adding Special Touches
While you are forming the pulp you can add small flowers, twigs, leaves, scraps of yarn or aluminum foil to give your paper character. You can even add a package of small seeds to the pulp in the tub. The seeded paper can actually be planted in the ground later.
Step 6: Forming The Paper From The Pulp
Submerge your deckle into the basin of pulp, shaking it back and forth slightly to create a smooth layer on top of the screen of your deckle . The frame part should be facing you in the way that the sides are above the screen by 1/4 inch or more, creating a slight well to hold the pulp in. The thicker in dimension your frame is the thicker you can let your paper be. Gather enough pulp to suit you.
Step 7: Preparing To Press Out The Excess Water
Lift the mold from the water basin and let most of the water drip off the bottom as you keep the screen elevated. If the paper happens to be too thin, now is when to give it another handful of pulp. Now smooth this over the bottom layer with your hand. If it is too dense or thick, remove some of the pulp and smooth. Now, take a felt square that fits the top of the mold and put it on the paper.
Step 8: Pressing Out The Water
Take the sponge, and after you have set the mold out of the basin of water onto a flat surface, and placed the felt on top of the paper, press the sponge over the felt applying enough pressure to remove some more of the water from the paper. Wring the sponge back into the basin to keep from losing any of the starch that you put in earlier.
Step 9: Remove The Paper From The Mold
Hold the felt taut by its edges and peel the mold rather quickly away from the paper and felt piece. The wet paper and pulp should stick together and separate from the mold. If necessary re-dampen with the sponge and try again. You can press out bubbles and wrinkles if you see any while you are doing this.
Step 10: Stack And Separate The Paper
Repeat the above steps to make as many pieces of paper as you like, and as you go, stack the felt faced pages on a cookie sheet. Put these in the tub on the cookie sheet and then top with another cookie sheet. Now, press the entire stack to remove some more of the moisture. At this point you can separate the felt faced pages and hang them to dry.
Step 11: Finishing
After the paper is fully dry you can remove the felt and trim any pieces that you don't like off the edges with scissors, or even cut the paper into your choice of desired shapes. You could fashion bookmarks and other decorative or theme inspired items, by tracing shapes with cookie cutters or other templates you may have around.
