Let us green you up (grow your own paper planter cards )

My wife is an avid scrapbooker. She uses beautiful cardstock and papers in her hobby, but what to do with left over paper scraps? How about remake the paper scraps into new sheets of handmade paper? And since you're making new paper and Earth Day is rapidly approaching, why not make a lovely card. But wait... there's more! Since you're making a handmade paper card, why not make that card something truly earth friendly. Why not add a handful of your favorite vegetable or flower seeds? That's what we're doing in this instructable. So follow along and make your our own beautiful and productive earth day card.

Step 1 Get your supplies

We've created deckle and molds based on picture frames available from IKEA that were on sale 3 for $1.50

Two or three picture frames: IKEA RAM 4x6 sold in set of 3 (or something similar)
Plastic from picture frame (used to press excess water off paper)
Four metal clips
Screen material: Panty hose ( for fine surface ) window screen (rougher more natural surface)
Electric blender Second hand preferably (Yard sale / second hand store)
Paper scraps Any paper will do but better quality paper makes for better finished product
Water tray: Large enough to hold your deckle and mold
Cookie racks: to hold paper while drying
Sponge: Help suck the excess water from paper
Two flat surfaces: to press paper after sponging. Scrap wood works fine,
Fingernails: Really helpful to peel up paper during various processes

Comments

[justjonty]

Love this. It's a great craft project. My kids are little greenies always wanting to save the planet so they'll love this!  Craft plus planting seeds - couldn't get more perfect for my kids.  Definitely will give this a go.

[tribalbaby]

This is AWESOME! I used to make paper at uni, and with my students. I still have my frame. A great way to have fun with my little boy, thanks for the inspiration! My sister in law had seed -inlaid paper stock for their wedding invites so we could grow native trees with them. (in Australia) I'm also thinking of this as a way to cut up and plant veggie seeds, I've seem commercial strips sort of like a similar idea too. Charndra

[technodude]

Thank you for the comment! Hope your little boy enjoys as much as my daughter. Her favorite part is mulching up the scraps in the blender and then spooning the resulting goop into the frame and spreading it even with her fingers. It's great to have a messy art project that's productive too :-)