New name, new site, new things to try!

New name:  Wooden Deckle paper making kits (formerly Going Green paper making kits)

New site:  Wooden Deckle Paper Making Kits and Supplies

New things to try:  Note card size mold and deckle , and a Rectangles Kit , and many other fun paper making things.



Special thanks to Nicole of Nicole Hacker Photography for providing photos of the paper making kits and mold and deckles.

Blue Cornflowers on Handmade Paper

I love the handmade paper these cornflowers are on - it's very textured because it was never pressed after I pulled the sheet - it almost looks like stucco.  I love how the wild texture contrasts with the simplicity of the flowers, but there aren't many flowers substantial enough to mount on such rough paper.  Thankfully this trio of blue cornflowers do the trick perfectly.

Time to make gift tags...

For the past few Christmas seasons I've been offering free Christmas gift wrapping on all Microfleur flower presses and Going Green paper making kits, and I've always included a free handmade paper gift tag.  Sometimes it's a pressed fern/Christmas tree tag, other times a pressed Queen Anne's Lace flower/snowflake tag, either way, they are fun to make, and a great way to showcase two of my favorite things:  pressed botanicals and handmade paper.

Here's a quick tutorial of my favorite way of making handmade paper gift tags...

Free plantable wildflower paper kit!

I've really gotten into making plantable paper lately, so I thought I'd pass along the fun.  I'm including a free  plantable wildflower seed paper kit in every Going Green Paper Making kit ordered - while my supplies last. 

Included are instructions, ideas for using plantable paper, planting directions, and of course, a nice variety of wildflower seeds.  Going Green Paper Making Kits are available at Elizabeth's Flowers as well as leaf petals.  Enjoy!

Plantable Paper Making workshop coming up...

Plantable seed paper is all the rage right now and is very pricey…. so why not learn to make your own?

On Saturday April 24th I'll be teaching a workshop on how to recycle the paper we commonly find in our home or office to create plantable handmade paper.  Plant-able  handmade paper can be used to make wonderful greeting cards, wedding or baby shower favors, hang tags, wedding confetti, etc.

In this three hour “hands on” workshop each student will learn the basics of making handmade paper, and will make a number of different seed papers, in different colors, shapes, and sizes.

Class size is limited due to the “hands on” nature of this class.  For more information on AFAF classes, please visit the Antioch Fine Arts Foundation website.

Plantable Paper Making Workshop
Saturday, April 24
9:00 am – Noon, at the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery, Antioch, IL.

Feel free to email me with any questions! 

Lunch Time...

 

The microgreens I'm growing on my kitchen table have really taken off, and a friend and I will be adding them to a big salad in just a few minutes for lunch. The seeds I used were Pine Tree Garden's Kitchen Sink Mix, with over 16 different kinds greens. They were surprisingly easy to grow - after planting the seeds I covered the top of the planter with saran wrap, until they sprouted.  After that, they were ready for clipping in just a few weeks.

But, before we eat, I just wanted to thank everyone for participating in last week's Mid Month Give Away.  I'm happy to announce that our winner was Patty S. from Arizona.  She is an experienced maker of handmade paper, and is looking forward to using the mold and deckle to make bookmarks for her visitors at an upcoming art exhibition she will be participating in this May. Best wishes to you Patty!

Unframed "Groovy Calendula"

I have a number of new pressed flower art pieces to photograph and post on my website, so here's the first in line, because it makes me smile.

Groovy Calendula is made from two of my largest golden calendula flowers from last summer (over two inches across!) with rich burgundy centers, and green fun and curvy stems.

The 5 x 7" piece of handmade paper I made for this piece is really, really textured.  In fact the paper wasn't pressed after it was formed, so it ended up being very wavy, similar to the stems of the calendula.

Speaking of calendula, it is one of my favorite flowers to press in the Microfleur, so be sure to order some seeds when you place your seed catalog order this year.  I've read that calendula is edible! I've never tried it though.

Making free handmade paper...

I had the privilege of being a guest blogger on Mariel and Jessica's "Or so she says..." blog this weekend.  I wrote a brief tutorial on making "free" handmade paper with 100% recycled paper.

The tagline for "Or so she says"  is " a daily dose of great ideas" and that it is!  Check it out, and see if you don't find a great idea or two to inspire you...

It's a good day...to make paper

Happy Columbus Day!

It's a balmy, cloudy 36 degrees here in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.  I've decided to forgo my plans of doing some much needed garden clean up today, (after our hard frost Saturday night) and make paper in my warm kitchen instead.

I will be making a large batch of small papers for my pressed flower cards, as well as some larger square handmade papers for a series of leaf pictures I have planned.  

By the way, I just read that it's National Pumpkin Pie day today.  I think I'll make one of those too!

A celebration in the trees...

I like everything about making Autumn Leaf Cards.

From tramping in the woods searching for the perfect autumn leaves with my family, to pressing them in the Microfleur, and then spreading the colorful leaves out on the table and enjoying the riot of color before I adhere them onto handmade paper.

God certainly thought of a great way to celebrate the end of a glorious summer - by throwing a bright and colorful party in the trees. I am always amazed.

Unframed Fern on "Free-Form" Handmade Paper

My Elizabeth's Flowers  website re-construction is happily over, and I'm back to doing what I love best - and here's proof.  This is an unframed pressed fern picture from the  Northwoods of Wisconsin, near Three Lakes.  The finely cut fern is beautiful in itself, but I decided to combined it with a highly textured "free-form" piece of my handmade paper, which really seems to compliment the orderly structure of the pressed fern. 

If you look closely, you can see that the edges of the handmade paper are very irregular, and the texture itself has an unruly look as well.   I really am pleased with this combination.

Upcoming Art Classes in the Northern Illinois Area

Don't you think it's about time for an art class? Of course it is, and if you are in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area I have just the class (or classes) for you.

The Antioch Fine Arts Organization has announced its Fall Class Schedule, with a variety of classes sure to interest just about evryone. Classes include fused glass workshops, airbrushing, various drawing and painting classes, calligraphy, stained glass, as well as an animal art class for children.

I will also be offering my "Totally Green" paper making workshop on Saturday October 3rd, at the AFAF Gallery. We'll spend an entire morning making a number of different types of beautiful handmade papers by recycling unwanted paper. Going Green Paper Making Kits will be available to purchase for those who are interested, but are by no means required.

Here is a complete listing of the art classes available from The Antioch Fine Arts Foundation.

Going Green Earth Day Journal Project

Two weeks from now will be Earth Day, a day set aside to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

I like to put my own spin on it, and focus on the beauty and wonder of our earth. More importantly, I like to reflect upon the awesomeness of the God who created our earth, with gratitude.

This Earth Day Journal project is a great activity for kids and adults alike, and is made from 100% recycled paper! The cover of the journal is made from recycled junk mail, using the Going Green Paper Making Kit, and the paper earth is made from scraps of blue and green paper, and believe it or not, tin cans!

I will be making this journal with some of the kids in my life, and I will be encouraging them to fill their journals with expressions of thankfulness for the world around them, as well as ideas about how we can take better care of the earth God gave us.

Here are your instructions for making the Going Green Earth Day Journal Project. Enjoy!

handmade hand

Here's a quick scan of a hand print handmade paper project I did in my son's first grade class on Friday. It was a lot of fun, and the kids seemed to be amazed with the paper print of their hands.

We used the 5 x 7" mold and deckle from the GoingGreen Paper Making Kit, which was the perfect size for their hands. Basically we pulled a white sheet first, then aligned a second green sheet on top it it - as you can see my aim was a little off on my son's hand! But, thankfully a quick trim will take care of that.

Full directions are available on how to make this hand print paper project, just in time for Mother's Day!

elephant ear paper cast

Here it is, my paper cast elephant ear, sealed and painted.

I am so pleased with how well the strong veining show up - it seems to lend a sense of strength and vitality to the leaf. I painted it with several different shades of green acrylic mixed with Perfect Paper Adhesive to form a translucent glaze. I also added an iridescent medium to the veins which gives them a subtle sunlight-like sparkle when viewed up close.

My next challenge is to come up with a way to display it. My art friend Bonnielynn suggested using a large shadow box, which I'm look into, and I'm also toying with the idea of attaching a hook on the back so that I can hang it directly on a wall. We'll see!

molds and deckles

Here's what I'll be doing this morning - stretching and stapling the screening that goes on the deckles for my Going Green Paper Making Kits. I received a fresh batch of frames from my craftsman yesterday (I'm enjoying the wonderful scent of the freshly cut pine) and he did an excellent job on them.

My paper making kit seems to be a good fit with Earth Day, and thankfully I've been blessed with quite a bit of interest in them this year, including Allie, from Posh Cravings.

I'm thrilled that soon Inspiration Ministries will be taking care of the packaging of the kits for me. Their clients will be putting together the sturdy boxes the kits come in, and will be labeling and filling the "inclusion" bags with lavender, blender flax, flower petals, shredded money, and colorful fibers. They will also be cutting the reusable "couching" sheets and the bendable copper wire included in every kit. Currently they are completing a time study of the project, and once that's completed they will will receive a portion of the proceeds from each kit.

Pressed Elephant Ear Leaf

Last spring I discovered elephant ears, and set out to find, grow, and press some. I put together a large botanical press but my first try failed - the elephant ear actually disintegrated. It was a mess. I think I clamped it too tightly.

Just before our first hard frost last fall I picked another leaf and put into my large press, but forgot about it until a few months ago. It had held together really well, and what was really amazing was its unusual coloration - it's translucent in the middle, which seems to give it a surreal "glow."

It's mounted on my handmade paper with Perfect Paper Adhesive, but in order to make the paper large enough(and strong enough), I pieced several sheets onto rug hooking fabric. The square pattern of the cloth subtly shows through the paper, as you might be able to tell in the picture below. It's an interesting effect.

For someone who has never framed anything larger than an fern, this is a large piece for me! The leaf itself is 24" long, and the frame is 30" x 26".

I am still working on finishing my leaf paper casting. I finally jumped in and started painting it, and it's going really well. I hope to have it ready to show you really soon.

to blend or not to blend... question and answer

Hi Elizabeth:
Could you please answer a question for me. I have been surfing the web for information regarding paper-making. The one thing they all have in common is using a blender. I'd like to know if a food processor could be used instead. If not.....why a blender?? Just curious!!! I know you sell a paper-making kit which I may purchasing a little later.

Thank-you......... Val

Hi Val, Thanks for writing!

You know, I’m not sure! I don’t know that much about food processors – I only use mine for making bread dough or pesto. I do know that blenders are capable of “liquefying” just about anything, and for paper making you need enough power to separate and isolate each and every fiber so that it can be suspended in liquid. I don’t know if food processors are powerful enough for that.

On a more practical side, food processors can be quite expensive, and adequate blenders can be found for less than $20.00 at discount stores, or for even less at Goodwill, rummage sales, etc.

I would recommend getting a hold of an inexpensive blender, and using it only for paper making (it’s hard to get a blender really clean after making paper in it). Once you try paper making you’re sure to get hooked, and having a blender dedicated to paper making will be well worth your investment.

Speaking of making paper, my paper making kits have been out of stock for a number of weeks, because the man who was hand crafting the wooden frames used for the mold and deckles was unable to continue. Recently I've been able to obtain a limited number, so thankfully my paper making kits are back in stock for the time being. (Note: you might have to hit the "refresh" button in order to get rid of the "out of stock" message on my website)

I'm still looking for a skillful retired woodworker to hire, so if you know of anyone in south east Wisconsin or north east Illinois please let me know!

Flowers in heaven

Here's an interesting close up of one of the pictures currently hanging at the Genoa City Library.

For this piece I used a very thin piece of my handmade paper which was applied to a piece of black archival foam board with Perfect Paper Adhesive. The handmade paper was so thin that the PPA bled through, and at first I panicked, but then I ended up loving the unexpected "cosmic" effect.

Will there be flowers in heaven? I think so. We know there will be at least two big trees (Revelation 22:2), and flowers were actually one of God's favorite art subjects. When he gave instructions to Bezalel and Ohliab, the two artists he handpicked and empowered to create the items in Israel's tabernacle, flowers (and palm leaves) were among God's most requested decorations. You can read more about it starting in Exodus 31.

Paper making with Keith Green

I love handmade paper - I use handmade paper in my art and for my cards, I sell paper making kits, and I even teach paper making. But here's a little known secret about me - sometimes I find that paper making can be a bit dull. Especially when I'm behind, and have a lot of paper to make to fill my orders.

Today has been different - I've been making paper with Keith Green. I had forgotten all about him, but since my husband gave me with an ipod this Christmas (bless him), I've delved back into the music of my past, and it's been such a treat. Once I had kids, my musical world shrunk down to Veggie Tales, Sesame Street, and Kid's Praise (thankfully they never got into Barney). I had set my CD's tapes and albums aside, and basically forgot about them until I received a 4 gigabyte ipod that needed filling.

Keith Green was a radical Christian musician from the late 70's who never pulled any punches. His lyrics were convicting, very honest, and even a bit sarcastic at times. His songs were not "sugar coated," like Christian music often is. Listening to his music while I was working today was really uplifting - almost like being at a mini retreat. I had forgotten the power music sometimes has.

Want to find out more about Keith Green? Listen to samples of his music here and read about his life here.