More Papermaking

Although papermaking requires a good deal of time, space, and supplies, I still like to do it. This time I wanted to experiment with adding more items to the paper. Making thinner paper and adding color were also goals. As in the last time I made paper, this pulp was made from the scraps of high quality mat board from Clyde Butcher's studio here in Venice. It makes fine paper and breaks down quickly when put in water.
The first step was plotting my course to determine in what order I would add things since once you put stuff in the pulp, you can't get it out for the next sheet! First would come several sheets of plain white, trying for a nice thin piece. Then I would start adding things: first glitter, then silk ribbon pieces, next flower petals and some yarn snippets. After I had a good glitter sheet and one with ribbon that I liked, I decided to go for some color. The simplest method seemed to be to just add colored paper so I mixed up a blender full of red construction paper. When I added it to the pulp tray, the result was a much darker pink than I expected. Nevertheless, I threw in some snips of burgundy fabric as well as some hairy yarn for an interesting result.
Although I was running out of pulp, it seemed sensible to make a couple more sheets of paper while the mess was all over the kitchen, laundry room and garage. One more blender full of white paper pulp lightened the pink color a little and provided enough for three more sheets. The last one fell apart as I couched it but it can be used for something! Twelve sheets of paper are now being pressed flat, almost ready for use.
So it's back to the minibooks now. I finished the Wisconsin Trip book and am working on a similar design using photos of Louise Pike paintings. The book cover is cotton fabric from Ventiane that I found on the ESTY website along with the paper you saw in the Seattle books.