Arnold Grummer's Design Team Blog

There are many ways that you can create a design in paper.  I have shown you how add a heart into the center of a newly made sheet in my Love Notes tutorial.  I shared how to create an open area for a design in my Say I Love You with Handmade Paper post.  Today I would like to share with you how to make a striped sheet of handmade paper and how easy it is to do.  This Zig Zag book is covered with a piece of striped paper to give it a splash of color.   Create several colors of paper pulp to make the striped sheet and one addition sheet to cover the back of the book.  You can choose if you want it to be striped or a solid sheet.   Now you will need something to make a barrier in the deckle of your Papermill Pro .  I taped 2 of the templates together to use.  I held the template as I ladled the first color of pulp into the first section.     Then, I gently ladled some pulp onto the opposite side of the template....

 What is more fun than reading a book?  How about creating one using handmade paper?  This book is perfect to keep your memories or ideas in.  Want a little book for some fun art journaling?  This is the one for you! This book began with the creation of 2 handmade sheets of paper using the Papermill Pro Kit  and the basic papermaking instructions .  The first sheet of paper was done in a solid orange color which then was used for the back of the book.  The second sheet of paper was for the front cover so it needed to have a lot of color.  I used 3 papers pulps which were all created using some leftover construction paper which I poured into the deckle using a ladle in a random pattern.      The first thing I did was to paint both end pieces for the book and laid them aside to dry.     After both sheets were dried,  I  traced the covers from the Make Your Own Book ...

Hi all!  Never underestimate the effects of down time on a mind that tends to wander.  We had a snow day a couple of weeks ago during which I caught up on laundry.  As I started throwing away the used dryer sheets I was hit by a thought...what would happen if I used the dryer sheets with paper pulp??  Would it bond with the paper?  Would it peel away??  Would it give the paper more strength?  Only one way to find out...start experimenting. The first thing that flashed in my mind was a comic strip bowl.  I had to wait for the Sunday funnies to try it.  I cut out one of the comic strips to be used whole.  The rest of the comics were shredded to be turned into pulp. Following the instructions with the Papermill Pro, I assembled the deckle box with the support grid and Papermaking screen.  On top of the papermaking screen I laid 2 used dryer sheets side by side.  Then I placed the cut out comic face down on the dryer sheets....

I have been eagerly counting the days until spring arrived and it finally did yesterday.  Unfortunately, we still have some snow in our forecast the next few days, but I've decided to welcome spring anyways by creating some beautiful tulips from handmade paper.  These flowers can be used for window decorations or for magnets to brighten up your office space and bring a little touch of the season indoors.     I wanted the paper to be a really pale pastel color so I decided to mix things a little differently than I normally do.  I first placed 2 pieces of Tissue Tints into the blender with 2 cups of water and blended it on high speed.  See how rich the color is after it being blended?  I love it, but it was too bright for what I had in mind so I used 8 strips of leftover white cardstock instead of colored cardstock to create the paper which gave me just the right hue for that.    I created 3 sheets  o...

The holidays are here and it is time for me to share one final project for this year with you.  I, also, want to send out holiday wishes to all of you and created this tree for you to enjoy.  The handmade paper is what makes this tree even more beautiful with its fine details.   Begin by placing the deckle from the Papermill Pro Kit into a tub filled about half way with water.   In a blender add torn pieces of cardstock or old mail and 2 cups of water.  Blend this until it is turned into a pulp.   Pour the pulp into the deckle making sure that the entire area is covered and then left it out of the water and allow it to drain some.   Place the screen support grid and the newly formed sheet of paper into a shallow pan and place the screen over the top.  Use the sponge to remove as much of the water as possible.  Transfer the sheet between two of the couch sheets and use the press bar to finish remov...

As Santa is checking his lists, we need to be making sure our lists are complete, too.  Don't forget that very special treat for Santa...his favorite cookies!  Share the reminder with someone this holiday season with this cute made with love card.  It will bring a smile to anyone's season.  Share it with your own gift of your favorite cookies even.     This card was created by making 5 sheets of handmade paper using the Papermill Pro Envelope and Stationary Kit  and the basic papermaking instructions. There are 2 sheets of white paper, one green sheet, one red sheet and one brown sheet needed.  The brown sheet is for the cookies and to make them look decorated for the holidays some of the  Copper Dust was sprinkled into the paper pulp right before the deckle was removed from the water.  All of sheets were allowed to dry completely.    A paper tearing ruler was used on the green sheet to take away...