Recycled Paper

Equipment: used paper, water, mosquito nets or thin linnen stretched over wooden frames, a basin (larger than the frames), felt, decorations

The frames can be prepared beforehand: if you don't have any old frames from windows, drawers and the like, attach four straight planks to create a frame slightly larger than the paper you want to make (see: preparing and stretching frames).

Take the pile of used paper (it can be mixed in colours and paper types, or added to with some newspaper) and tear it to small pieces, about 5 centimeters square.
Put all the pieces in a basin and cover them with water. Give them about half an hour to soften and stir occassionally. After having softened, use your hands to rip them apart. The more you tear, the finer the paper. For extra-fine paper, you can put the goo in a mixer or blender on low power, or use a hand blender (blender stick, bzzzzzt).

After having soaked or blended the mixture, add your decorations. These can, for example, be colourful pieces of cardboard (confetti), glitters, dry leaves, petals, or any other flat thing that you think could fit in nicely.

Add as much water as possible to the basin. The thinner the mixture, the more the pieces of paper spread evenly across the frame, and the paper is textured more evenly.

Stir the mixture well and kindly, and insert the frame down to the bottom of the barrel. When the netting is turned upwards, raise it slowly and gently, to keep the goo from crumbling. Lay the frame with the mixture on the floor or on the table. Lay a stretch of felt of the right size, and press it gently to soak out the water, in squeegee-like movements.

Overturn the frame (so that the felt touches the table) and lift it. You are now left with a piece of felt layered thinly with goo. Leave to dry. Afterwards-peel gently. If the paper is too wrinkled for your taste, it can be straightened under a matress or a heavy pile of books for a few days.