Starting off and having fun!

Hello everyone. My name is Debbie Buckland and I am from New Zealand.

I am so excited to be on the Arnold Grummer's Design Team!

Well I haven't made paper since before I was married! I think I was still living at home with Mum and Dad as I remember mum complaining there was paper drying everywhere around the house…. LOL

Well now I'm annoying my hubby thanks to the Arnold Gummer team! he he

I have 7 months to go and I will have my own craft room to work in but until then I am working in the kitchen.

I started off opening the Paper Mill Complete Paper Making Kit #301 (Pour Method kit) and watching the DVD provided. (not pictured)

and then bought a Blender specifically for the purpose of making paper and a bin. (all on sale of course)

Next I followed all instructions that were included and made my very first sheet of paper with used laser printed paper using the pour method… previously I only had ever used the dip method. And the results are so much less messy. ;)

I actually enlisted my 9yr old daughter to make paper too… so here are some shots of her in action…

The couch (kooch) sheets were the only things that are lying around the house drying…

as most of the paper that was made - was drying in the Field, flower and paper press #395  provided in the DT kit - following instructions with that, and the warm weather, we are currently having in New Zealand (its summer here) it only took from lunch time till over night to dry the paper.

These are the papers we made with the kits.

We recycled cereal box cardboard, news paper, laser printed white paper, blue lined school book paper, and wrapping paper left over from Christmas. So much fun!

My kids painted on their sheets of paper:

 This is by my daughter Mishael (bunny, buzzybee, and butterfly)
acrylic paint

 

this is by my son Ethan (See through Zombies)

acrylic paint

Me? I tried using the #375 Cards & Tags Medium Template Collection

and got some great shapes.. without cutting them! all I did is used the templates while making the paper. Awesome aye.

Well as an artist and crafter I had to know how all my art mediums work on these papers…   so the natural thing for me to do is start my swatch book…

So now I know how all my mediums work…
I tested: Paper hand punch (hole), Ball point Pen, Stampin up ink pads (stamped with open/block stamps and waterbrush technique), copic markers (dark to light), Gelatos (smudged and water added), Acrylic paint, watercolour pencils with water added, and Archival ink pad.

I have added nothing to the papers at this stage. No additives its just straight paper in the blender then papers made. I am guessing the additives will help with the papers feel when drawing on them…i hope. Only one more paper type that I have to recycle, to try out…. scrapbook paper. Its a big part of my paper waste so I really need to make some sheets up and see how they pan out too.
Keeping in mind - results may vary between people making the papers. ;)

Thanks so much for reading this blog post and seeing my excitement of my new journey with this great tool for recycling and having fun.

See you again soon
All the best
Debbie Buckland
Artist, crafter and general nutter ;)
Blog: artycrafty.wordpress.com