Junk mail + Bamboo = your next party invitation

A few posts ago, my fellow bastard Tina Seamonster wrote about upcycling with those old t-shirts that just aren’t wearable anymore. Now I have yet another crafty recycling option for you- make paper. At the Pyramid Atlantic papermill we can make paper out of everything from junk mail to your old New Kids shirt (if you can let it go). No need to cut down virgin forests for your crafts- there are plenty of fibers that can be recycled. Most plant fibers can be used to make interesting paper, and the opacity changes depending how long the material is beaten in the Hollander Beater. In short, longer fibers are cut down in the beater and then pulled into sheets of paper.

A few months ago we had a group of kids at Pyramid who cut up their old jeans to make a pretty bluish paper. Also, old cotton t-shirts can be cut up and recycled into new paper, the color either determined by the shirt dye or added later if the fiber is white. In a class I took, we cut up a variety of shirts, and the strong red of one shirt mixed with those others to create a pretty pink.

Like yarn, paper can be made of many sustainable fibers like bamboo and seaweed. Check out this sweet journal made from recycled seaweed. Kozo (also known as Mulberry) is often used in handpapermaking, creating a beautiful translucent paper. The fibers can be harvested without killing the plant, thus creating a renewable resource.

Bamboo is another reusable fiber that we often use at Pyramid Atlantic to make paper, but don’t worry, there is still plenty for the pandas!

For a quick, clear look at the Hollander Beater and Handmade paper, read Ray Rich’s page at http://www.sumi-art.com/my-hmp.html