Speckled paper, the possibilities

Solid card stock sets off the handmade
paper beautifully.

By adding fistfuls of dried petals along with the pulp in the  blender,  you can get beautiful speckled paper. This kind of paper always makes me think of birds; the spotted breast of a thrush, the speckled eggs of a sparrow.

For this sheet I used Arnold Grummer's Botanicals (Rosebuds and Angel Wings).

I made the sheet using a Medium Pour Mold to conserve my botanicals. You can add the botanicals right along with the reclyed paper and blend, the petals are tough. they can stand some blending.

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Both sides of this paper have a unique look, be sure to consider both sides when you are designing a card.

Making the Cards

To make the bird card, place the cut shapes onto the model to align, then attatch the overlapping parts-- I use a glue stick. Use the two different sides of one brown sheet of handmade paper for the wing piece and the back/tail peice. Attach the assembled bird to the front of a card using a glue stick.. Place in a paper press.

The appearance of the handmade paper can be slightly different on each side. When you have two shapes of the same color that overlap, using the different sides can add texture to your picture.

To make the nest on the pink card, I used a collaprint technique. I glued leaf stems and twigs onto a thick sheet of cardboard --the plate.. Then I inked the plate with brown ink. With the front of the card facing down, I rested the card on the inked plate and used a spoon to rub the whole surface.

Use a rubber roller to spread the ink on a piece of smooth plastic or glass. Then roll the ink onto the plate.

Once the ink has dried, you can attached the eggs made of speckled paper with a glue stick. Place the card in a press.