Turn your junk mail into something beautiful!

Handmade paper. Magic in a blender. The ultimate in recycling. Turn that junk mail into something beautiful!

If you want easy, use a kit like Arnold Grummer's Papermill PRO. Their online shop has a variety of kits to meet every budget. I've owned my PRO kit for over thirteen years. My kids loved making paper when they were younger. It can be a very fun (and educational) activity.

I recently put my kit to use making eleven sheets of handmade paper for a special card making project.

Here's how it's done:

Follow the instructions included with the kit to make paper. Let the sheets dry overnight. Use a press or weigh down with heavy books so the sheets stay flat. (Unless you like "curly" paper, of course.)

Each set of four cards required a 5.5 x 8.5" sheet. Use a grid ruler to measure the horizontal half-point of 8.5 x 11 sheet, draw a line with a water brush. Gently tear along the wet line to preserve a deckle edge.

Continue dividing into smaller panels with the ruler and water brush. Use panels to decorate four cards.

I chose papers inspired by Club Scrap's Transformations collection. Don't you just love that "natural" handmade paper edge?

Cherry Blossoms Greeting stamps

I just love the look and texture of handmade paper! It's a neat way to recycle, and you can customize it to match just about anything. You can even add dried flowers or wild flower seeds for special occasions. Give it a try some time!