Arnold Grummer's Design Team Blog

© Michele Emerson-Robert 2016 These little books are such fun to create and give as gifts. I match the theme/subject with the person who will be receiving it and create the design on the cover with handmade paper or paper casting which makes it even better. Follow along to create this gift journal - more will follow in the future with different themes. They go together so quickly that you can make 10 or more at a time. I bet you can come up with a bunch of ideas too! Supplies: ·        Any of the Arnold Grummer® paper making kits ·        Blender, strainer, cello sponges and soft towels ·        A sunny window ·        Scraps of tan paper (think brown paper bag/junk mail, etc.) ·        Dies:   Tonic Studios™ #1099E It’s Your Big Day (1 & 2 frame), #1098E Special Occasion (lattice) & #184E Celtic Dr...

©Anne Rita Taylor 2016 Taking a trip by car, boat or plane? During down time - you can think great thoughts or have interesting conversations with Questions from the Traveling Skewer Book. Supplies: Arnold Grummer Paper Making Kit Arnold Grummer How To Make Paper  Two pieces of handmade paper - 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches Two pieces of color coordinated paper -  5 1/2 by 8 1/2 inches Two 6 inch bamboo skewers   2 pieces of ribbon  - 15 inches each Bone folder, hole punch, double sided tape Road Trip rubber stamp Twelve questions to ask while traveling - see below. Prepare two signatures:  One piece of handmade paper and one piece of coordinated paper each. Punch holes in both signatures an inch from the top and bottom. Place a skewer inside each signature. Thread the ribbon from the outside into the first signature, around the skewer and out. Repeat for the second signature using the same ribbon. Snug up t...

  I love spring, everything is new again. Grass is growing, leaves are growing on trees, flowers are popping up from the ground and new life is coming with the birth of baby birds, fawn, baby cows and every other animal is giving new life. I LOVE spring.    Our Plum tree is always the first to bloom and if we have a good rain when it is in full bloom, you just have to walk out the back door and the whole yard smells beautiful. When the flowers on that start to die, the apple/crabapple tree comes into full bloom. And what a beautiful site that is and then the front yard smells beautiful and then when that starts to die, we have other things that start to bloom. It seems there is something blooming all spring, I love it.    Today, I made a mixed media piece that I used paper castings on, they are leaves, of course. I am sure that most of you have heard the poem..... Trees By Joyce Kilmer I think that I sha...

© Michele Emerson-Robert 2016 I have a close friend who is an avid quilter. When I first saw this die set from Tonic Studios™ I knew that I would create some “quilt squares” as gifts for her. This is the first of three (so far). I know she will love them, and they will be perfect to hang on her quilt studio wall. I will be creating them in a neutral color palette of medium blue and golden tan. And since I will be using some items that would normally be tossed, I am doing my part to follow Arnold’s “R’s”: recycle, restyle, repurpose, revamp, restore, renew! Supplies Arnold Grummer® paper making kits Tan & gold scrap paper (think junk mail etc.) Large empty frozen Pizza box Blender, cello sponges, soft towels A sunny window Medium blue text weight paper Die: Tonic Studios™ #183E Verso Art Deco Collectable Die Set Tonic Studios™ #159 Advantage V Blade paper trimmer Scor-Pal™ Tonic Studios™ Tangerine die cuttin...

Yes, YOU can!  One ton of recycled paper saves:  • 4,100 kWh of electricity. • 380 gallons of oil. • 54 million Btu’s of energy. • 4.6 cubic yards of landfill space. • 7,000 gallons of water. • 17 trees  wow, right ? It all begins with not wanting to waste paper, be it scraps of colored paper leftover from a project or junk mail. I try and celebrate Earth Day every day of the year,  a person in the United States uses more than  700 pounds  of paper every year. • Paper in the U.S. represents one of the biggest components of solid waste in landfills – 26 million tons (or 16% of landfill solid waste)   Americans throw away 4.5 million tons of office paper each year! Sometimes I throw all the colors together and sometimes I separate the colors into their own piles and I am the first to say that the colors I can make are gorgeous. I love reusing the papers and making pulp. I love to look at the pulp, I love to take pictures of the ...

You need a card for a birthday gift. You could run to the store and spend a lot of money for a card or YOU COULD MAKE ONE! It is so easy and Arnold Grummer's has just the thing to help you get this done quickly and easily!! There is a template for making gift cards and envelopes! You put the template between the Pour Handmold and the screen. Pour your pulp into the box just as you would to make paper. Once you have drained enough water and removed the box, gently lift the template off.  Proceed to use the sponge, blocks and couch sheets to remove the excess water. Dry using your favorite method. Now use the folding guide, make the envelope and card. You can make these to match your gift wrap, you can add flower petals, and even stamp on them! I made several so I would have extras on hand! These are the perfect hand made addition to any gift for any occasion!! Supplies used: Pour Handmold  and   Template   - available at Arnold G...

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2016 Happy April! Time for flowers to bloom and the weather to get warmer! Yep, I admit it - I do not like to be cold. Each year as the temperature rises, I start getting the urge to get outside and start the paper making process. I will spend a whole day just creating beautiful sheets of handmade paper and many paper castings. This gets repeated many times during the year so that I have a stash on hand. I get a head start on the many projects that are created during the year. The Scottish Thistle is one of my favorite paper molds available from Arnold Grummer. Supplies: ·        Any of the Arnold Grumme r®   paper making kits ·        A sunny window ·        Blender, strainer, cello sponges and soft towels ·        Scraps of yellow paper (think junk mail, etc.) ·        AG’s Sco...

©Anne Rita Taylor 2016 I made these pouches for each person in my writing group. With a list of words we used as prompts for writing an essay. After writing for 15 minutes, we would read to the group what we wrote - fun! Supplies: Arnold Grummer Paper Making Kit Blender, strainer, sponges, towels Scissors, bone folder 24 inch ribbon Rubber stamp for front of Pouch, see my  Carving Images for Prints  for carving instructions Journal prompt words: Recognition, Honesty, Routine, Assertive, Productivity, Profound, Silence, Respect, Rebellious, Unique, Legendary, Expansive, Achievement, Harmony, Hope Follow instructions in the  Arnold Grummer Paper Making Kit Cut handmade paper into an 8 inch square Fold into triangle using the bone folder; Open and fold into opposite side triangle Turn the paper over Fold in thirds again using the bone folder to measure: 2 & 5/8 inches Open and fold the other way into thirds again; the bone folder m...

I can't believe April is almost half over with already. The past week we have had a hail storm and 2 days with heavy snow falling and 1 day of 70 degree weather.....what!?!?! Iowa.....weather changes every day and you never know what you will get LOL I have a very important birthday coming up in May, my oldest sons. Now let me explain a little about my family. I was born on my Grandfathers (my moms dad) birthday, my first born was born on Mothers Day which also happened to fall on my moms birthday. I was hoping we could continue this "tradition" but not going to happen. Oh well, he still deserves a handmade card and today I used my handmade paper to make it. I added the multicolor button because of his personality. He is so well loved by so many people because of his sense of humor. My other two children are more layed back than he is, his life is one big party every day, as it should be. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out the Arnold Grummer...

© Michele Emerson-Robert 2016 We all have a bit of mending to do, having quick supplies handy is a good idea, such as needles, several spools of different colors of thread, and a small pair of scissors handy is good. Keeping it in a lovely container is even better! Since Arnold not only promoted making paper, but also encouraged using things instead of tossing them, I am happy to follow his lead. Supplies Empty large frozen pizza box (inside is tan chipboard) Scraps of glossy black card stock to die cut (I used the backing from some embossing folders packaging) Dies: Tonic Studios™ “Patchwork Perfection” #1186E Vineyard Squares and 1185E Everyday Squares and layering squares Decorative hatpins or corsage pins for the top of the box Needles, small spools of thread, small pair of scissors, tape measure Tonic Studios™ Craft Tacky Glue™ ½” 3” square tan foam for pin cushion Tonic Studios™  Super Trimmer #153E and scissors R...

Deckle division rocks! "Deckle division is simply dividing your hand mold's deckle into two or more compartments." I got this idea from the Trash To Treasure book, pp. 108-9 to blend 2 different colored pulps together. It's a little hard to see in this picture but the bottom ½ of the card is green and the top ½ is blue. They run together so smoothly that it's hard to see where one ends and one begins!  Arnold tells you how to make your own deckle divider out of foam core but I found that by adding duck tape to it added a lot more strength and it lasts a lot longer this way. Make sure that the end that lays against the paper screen is flat and even so the pulp cannot mix together before you are ready to have it do so. I also found that drawing an arrow to which way it should be inserted into the mold helps too. You also want to make sure it is a snug fit, and the duct tape can help "fatten" the divider up if you need assistance. ...