Step 2

Begin by mixing the water and paper pulp mixture. Be aware that from this point on, the blender you use for this project is no longer food safe. I personally purchased a fifteen-dollar blender to dedicate to craft use, but you could check craigslist.org or your local thrift store for cheap to free ones.

Use pre-blended frozen paper pucks like the ones I showed you before or blend your paper right on the spot. Add 2 pitchers full of pulp and water to the bucket, then add 1 pitcher full of plain water to loosen the mixture. The water should be opaque but not lumpy. Stir in your acid-free additive as according to directions, and last, add your plant matter for decoration as desired.

Assemble your mold and deckle by placing your screen on the deckle, then placing your mold. I use a kit by Arnold Grummer that has a fine screen that I put below the regular window-style screen, a grated base for the deckle, and here I am using a mold that makes 2 half sheets of paper, perfect for standard A2 size invitations. I also have a mold that makes A2 envelopes, though I did not use it for this project.

Stir the pulp/water mixture, and slide your assembled mold and deckle setup into the water side down, trying to get underneath the pulp smoothly.