Make Paper That Grows - Recycle, Renew, and Plant It in the Ground

How many tons of junk mail do we get over the course of a week across America? Everyone wants to sell you everything and has the solution to any problem you can think of and it fills our trashcans and landfills. Heres a way to put that junk mail to a good use and spare the overburdened landfills too.

This can be used to create anything you like recipe cards, gardening tip cards, gift tags, notepaper, stationary, etc., and makes a very thoughtful gift.

I have found several methods on doing this but none of them seemed to work quite right for me, so through a lot of trial and error and finding a few tricks of my own I was able to get a more desired effect from my project.

Make sure to have removed any foreign objects such as staples, stamps, glue strips, etc., and check your paper for any hint of slick or shine which indicates a varnish has been applied to it and it should not be used.

Step 1: Materials

Prepared paper mentioned in the intro
An old wooden picture frame or make a frame to your desired size
Fine Window or Door Screen Material
A Staple Gun or Heavy Duty Tacks
Old Terry Cloth Towels
White Towels (not terry cloth 2 per sheet of paper)
Baking Sheets
Cooling Racks like you would use for cookies
Bricks or something to add weight
A Blender
A Rolling Pin
A Plastic Container, larger than your frame
A Pitcher
Waxed Paper
Any kind of small flat flower or vegetable seeds, I used tomato seeds for this project.

Step 2: Make Your Frame

Staple or tack screening material to Frame. Place in plastic container and set inside the plastic tub.

Step 3: Shred and Mix Your Paper

Fill blender with prepared paper as described in the intro about 2/3 full. Add enough water to cover paper and fill blender almost full.

Run blender on high speed until mixture is thick and pulpy looking almost like wet cement.

Step 4: Pour Your Paper

Pour the mixture over the screen material in the frame, make a second batch and repeat. Spread mixture out as evenly as possible.

Step 5: Lift and Drain the Frame

Lift frame out of the water and set over the plastic container allowing the mixture to drip freely.

I like to lay a piece of waxed paper over the mixture and help press the water out with a hand above and below the screen material to speed the process.

Step 6: Pressing the Paper

When the dripping stops lay the frame on a large towel folded several layers thick. Apply a new piece of waxed paper over it and use an implement to press and smooth the paper mixture out evenly. Flip the towel over or refold to a dryer side and continue pressing as much water as possible out.

I used a tool from my kitchen for smoothing fondant and an ironing motion to complete this step.

The more you work the paper mixture the smoother it will become.

Step 7: Flip Your Paper

Lay a white, smooth textured, non terry cloth type towel on top of your frame.

Flip the frame over onto the white towel. Remove the frame. If you have expressed out enough water the paper mixture should drop right out of the frame. If it does not, flip it back over, get a fresh thick towel and repeat the pressing process.

The thickness of the paper mixture will depend on how many times you poured mixture into the pan. I did it twice here and mine is about 1/4 inch thick so far in an 11x14 frame.

Step 8: Add the Seeds

Decide what kind of seeds you want to use and sprinkle them over the paper. Apply waxed paper over the top and repeat the pressing process to embed the seeds into the paper.

Step 9: Press Your Paper

Cover the paper with another clean white, non terry cloth towel and lay a piece of non waxed cardboard on top of the towel.

Slide a baking sheet, firm board, etc., between the lower white towel and the large terry cloth towel, lift your paper off and set on a flat surface. Lay a piece of cardboard on top.

Weight the whole thing down with anything heavy that will cover the entire piece of paper to extract more water. I used bricks but a hospital pail filed with sand, rocks or water works equally well.

Step 10: Roll the Paper Thin

Remove the weights and cardboard. Make layers with:
a single thickness of Terry Towel,
a white non Terry Towel on top, spread longer than your paper,
your paper
and waxed paper on top.

Working lengthwise only take your rolling pin (I used a weighted marble rolling pin) and from the center out roll your paper from the center to the far end. Do not use a back and forth motion.

Repeat the process for the other half until paper is the desired thickness.

Step 11: Dry the Paper

Slide a cooling rack or anything else with a firm surface you have to use between the Terry Cloth and White Towel. Set another rack on top and flip the paper. Remove the white towel on top then set your paper in an airy place to dry out completely. The rack beneath allows air flow to both sides. Turn the paper after 4  6 hours of drying time.

If you choose to put it outside check your weather forecast to make sure it is going to be a nice sunny day that is not humid, forecasting rain or where birds will come to eat the seeds. (Ha, I speak from experience) You can place an aluminum pie tin with a rock in it next to your paper to discourage the birds.

Note: If you are going to be using your paper to make cut outs like an ornament you want it to be thicker than standard paper.

Step 12: Uses for the Paper

You are now ready to design and use your paper. Cut it into the desired sizes or make shapes, punch a hole and add some ribbon, string or twine for hanging.

If you are giving it as a gift such as a note card, (I do not recommend greeting cards as they tend to get crumbly on the folds) be sure to include a note to let the recipient know what kind of seeds are in the paper and that they only need to tear it in large pieces and put it in the ground or a pretty pot as the paper creates its own compost and will disintegrate. Include other useful information such as if it needs a sunny or shady location, etc.

If they wont be using it right away the paper should be stored in the refrigerator until planted.

Pre sprouting your paper is as simple as re-wetting the paper, putting it in a plastic zip lock baggie and storing them in either a dark place like a shoe box or in direct sunlight until you see sprouts, depending on what the seeds are and then planting them.