Project Idea: Baby Stage

I've had it on my mind lately to recycle my shredded paper (beyond just bringing it to a recycling bin). I want to  pulp it out, mush it up, pour it in a frame and make some new paper out of it. Also, I'm going to sprinkle some wildflower seeds into the set to it can be used as plantable paper. This project idea is still in its baby stage.

The tulips in my bedroom are past their prime and the petals are starting to curl and soften. I have a hankering to press them, so over the next couple of days, I'll likely be putting together a flower press. At that point, my project will be in the toddler stage.

I'm okay in the baby stage for today though. All I want to do is keep the petals as they are for just a little longer. I've read it's best to press flowers at their freshest point, but I'll have to sacrifice color sharpness and finer edges this first time around.

Beyond the toddler stage is putting the dried, pressed petals into the pulp mixture while I'm making plantable paper. Won't these gorgeous petals add value to the paper's aesthetic? And I'm thinking that flower petals are biodegradable... :smirk

But for now I'm going to let the petals soften a bit more, because I just can't let go of their company quite yet. More on this to come!