The term ‘homemade’ works well with some creative projects (jam making and cake baking, for instance), but with others it sounds a touch inelegant.

Fine crafts, like jewellery, pottery, or paper-making are a case in point. For these creative disciplines the term ‘handmade’ is often used.

It conjures up artists  dedicating many loving hours creating an individual and delicate object.

A piece of ‘handmade’  paper is an exquisite and delicate object and can’t be thrown together like a bodged school project or a do-it-yourself Bake Off re-enactment.

That’s all well and good. I get it.

But I also know that fantastic papers,  jewellery,  and other crafts can be made at home, even on the kitchen table.

That’s why – when it comes to the individual handmade paper sheets we’ve  made recently – I’m proud and happy to  call them ‘homemade’.

It was after a recent trip browsing the gorgeous selection of handmade paper in Paperchase  with my daughter  that we decided to give papermaking a try at home.

 

This is how you can make paper at home:

• tear  and soak unwanted paper into postage stamp sized pieces and pulp with water (50/50 ratio). You could use an electric blender or a mortar and pestle.
• transfer the pulp onto a large container adding tissue paper or dyes for colour and a little pva glue.
• collect the pulp onto the  screen (we made ours by covering a picture frame with netting and securing with drawing pins) add any essential oil for fragrance and dried flowers, glitter or any other decorative items of your choice.
• turn onto a J Cloth to dry (you may need to sponge any excess water) and leave to dry.
• see the clip for a demonstration …