The Envelope(s), please

Lined envelopes made with A2 and A6 templates

After some experimenting with the envelope and card templates from Arnold Grummer, I have discovered that I can make envelopes as beautiful and as varied as the cards they hold.

My first discovery was that the A2 template also contains a note card template that works as an envelope liner. Align the newly made (soaking wet) note card with to top edge of the newly made envelope. Sponge in place. Dry the flat envelope in a paper press. Once the envelope is completely dry, fold it and seal the edges using a glue stick. Slide a piece of wax paper inside the envelope and press it again.

The deckle sheet template works as a liner for the larger A6 envelope.

Window envelopes

You can make a window envelope with any of the templates by placing a block onto the paper making screen, centered onto the envelope face of the template. This might require three hands.

I used a stack of Legos as a block.



 I'm thinking Valentine.

 I used a cardboard disk as a block with the petal template.

 

Mailing Labels

Next I tried using the Artist's Trading Card (ATC) template to make a writing label for the front of an A6 envelope. In order to get an extra-smooth writing surface, I added two squares of cotton linters to the white pulp before pouring into the ATC template.

I placed the wet ATC sheet in the center front of the wet envelope, sponged them together and put them in the press to dry. Once dry, I folded them and sealed them using a glue stick. After placing a sheet of wax paper inside the envelope, I pressed it again.

But can you really mail them?

Yes, you can.

Look at that great cancellation stamp!

The white labels were very easy to write on. I mailed four envelopes, they all arrived at their destinations in perfect condition.


The A2 template also has some small decorative shapes that look great affixed to any of the envelopes.





These envelopes are crying out for sealing wax.

Now that I know how easy it is, I'll be making envelopes for holiday cards, invitations, gift enclosures, store gift cards (little square ones), and of course, Valentines.








What will do with your envelopes?

Apples and Honey for a Sweet New Year

Enjoy my bee (honey) video and have a sweet new year.

Who Needs a Label Maker . . . when you have a Papermill

Just-made paper is wonderfully sticky. That, and the fact that it is so beautiful make it the perfect label material for jars of homemade comfort food.

Make a batch of paper pulp, blend it pretty well. If you want to be able to see the writing on the finished label, the pulp should be a uniform, well blended color. But something chunky and multi-colored would look great too.   Use a small can--tomato paste size-- with both ends removed as your template. Place the black mesh screen from the Arnold Grummer Papermill kit atop the kit's large white grid.  Rest the grid and screen on a tray with a lip, to catch the water. Center the can on the screen and pour the pulp into the can. Wait a few seconds for some of the water to drain. Remove the can. You will have a nice, thick, round and very wet label.

Pick up the black mesh screen -- the label will amazingly stay in place-- center the label over the bumpy writing on the front of a sealed jar. Lay the wet label in place. With the mesh screen still in place, sponge the label through the screen, pushing it onto the surface of the jar. The bumps on the jar give the wet label something to adhere to. Keep pressing the label onto the jar--through the mesh screen-- until the screen can peel away easily. Let  the label dry over night.

                 

The dried label will have a somewhat bumpy surface. Very pretty, but hard to write on. You can use letter stamps to print on the label.

Once I labeled my real canned goods, I made a few more.

Have fun!

I can't wait to see what you cook up.

Pre-School Paper Field Trip

Three-, four- and five-year olds visited our paper studio and created these vases.

Pre-schoolers come to our studio for two field trips each summer. On their first visit they all make their own sheets of paper. On  the second trip, they put their skills to use making something out of their own paper. This year they made vases by covering glass jars with their own paper. Each vase is beautiful, they are all different, and each was really truly made by a child. That, in my opinion, is the best kind of children's art project.

Ask any five children what is the best part of making paper and they will tell you it is blending the pulp in the blender. Ask ten children and nine will tell you it's the blender. The tenth child was abstent that day.