experiments

I’m essentially turning into a millennial-hobby-crafting-mom, without the babies. My most recent experiment in the realm of arts and crafts was making paper by hand, which is to say, expending a lot of time and effort to make paper out of…paper.

The idea was recycling. Could I turn junk mail into letter stationery? Could I not just save money, but also have an endless supply of artisanal, hand-crafted paper? Could I pretend that I’m doing my part to live a greener lifestyle by making paper instead of buying it? Can I impress my friends by sending them letters written on handmade paper?

While I haven’t found a way to answer the above questions in the affirmative, I’ve learned at least one thing not to do: don’t try to make recycled, hand-crafted paper out of newspaper. The ink comes off and sticks to hands, cloths, blender, bucket, shower, everything the light touches. The paper I’ve made so far dried slowly, only turning into paper after spending an afternoon perched by a wood stove. The final product is stiff, thick, and chunky, flaking and breaking when I fold it. Not exactly artisanal, or the stuff of a hobby mommy blog. But it’s an experiment.