Sentiments, Scented and Seeded

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Here’s a creative project that takes recycling to a whole new level. Following these simple directions, you can create your own paper, embedded with seeds, bits of plants and delicious herbal scents. Fold the paper into greeting cards for your loved ones and after they’ve read your sentiments, they can plant the whole card in their garden or flowerbed. A little sunshine, a little water and voila! — an ongoing reminder of your thoughtfulness and affection for them.

When you choose your favorite herb scents and seeds for these organic, earth-friendly sentiments, consider the Victorian language of flowers to convey the unspoken message of your heart. (For more information on the language of flowers, read Tussie-Mussies: The Victorian Art of Expressing Yourself in the Language of Flowers by Geraldine Adamich Laufer, available on our online bookshelf, www.HerbCompanion.com.)

While it is possible to make paper entirely from raw, fibrous plant material, the chemicals and time required to break down the plant material adequately requires significantly more effort than the method suggested here. For details on creating paper from whole plants, check out a good paper-making book, such as Making Your Own Paper by Marianne Saddington (Storey, 1993).

MATERIALS

To begin the process, assemble the materials listed below, most of which are readily available at craft stores.

Mold (see details below)
12-by-9-inch piece screen (or larger to fit frame)
Blender
Plastic bucket or container large enough to hold about 3 cups pulp
3 or 4 sheets (81/2-by-11-inch) paper
Water
1 small handful dried flowers and leaves
1 teaspoon seeds
2 pieces felt large enough to cover the cutout in your mold
Rolling pin
Sponge
Whole leaves and flowers, if desired
Waxed paper

MAKING THE MOLD

You can create your own wood frames nailed or glued into two rectangles, but you’ll find it much easier (and not too expensive) to visit your local arts and crafts store and purchase wood stretcher bars, which easily fit together without any other tools or materials required. We bought four 12-inch stretcher bars and four 9-inch bars and assembled them into two rectangular frames. Secure the screen to one side of one of the frames with nails or staples so the center is completely covered and the screen is taut. Set the second frame aside without screen.

Substitute potpourri for dried flowers and leaves to add texture and variety to your handmade paper.

PAPER

Collect various scraps of paper including tissue, craft or construction and typing paper and tear or cut it all into about 1-inch pieces (the thinner the paper, the larger the pieces can be). Soak the paper in a bowl of water (about 2 cups water to 1 cup of paper scraps) overnight.