We use dried hydrangea flowers for so many things, why not make paper with them too? It’s a great way to repurpose flowers we were about to toss into the compost and junk mail that was destined for the recycling bin. Making floral paper by hand also gives you a way to express yourself, preserve your garden, and give a gift with that extra special personal touch.
Gather Materials
- water
- bucket
- torn or shredded paper (not coated)
- dried hydrangeas (we used Zinfin Doll and Incrediball hydrangea flowers) or other flowers (we used pressed Perfecto Mundo azalea blooms)
- blender (If you plan to make a LOT of paper, get a blender from a second hand
store. Otherwise, just clean your regular blender thoroughly after the project.) - rectangular storage bin
- old picture frame
- screen
- heavy duty stapler
- scissors
- sponge
- wax paper
Make
- add shredded paper and dried flowers to the water filled bucket
- mix wet + dry ingredients
- let the combination sit for a few hours
- take the glass and backing off of an old photo frame
- with a heavy duty stapler, attach mesh tightly to the back of the frame’s edges
- cut away excess mesh
- put the paper/flower mixture into a blender
- add dried flowers
- blend until you can no longer see large bits of paper (this is called slurry)
- pour slurry into the storage bin
- add water to the storage bin
- if you’d like, add larger pieces of pressed flowers
- stir up slurry combination with your hands
- immediately afterward, dip screen into water and slurry combination
- pull screen up when enough material has settled on top
- gently shake to remove water
- flip mixture onto wax paper (it’s best to prepare slowly and then flip swiftly)
- press down on screen with a sponge to remove water
- wring water out into bin
- grab both sides of one end of the screen and gently pull upward, releasing the pressed slurry
- let it dry for a day or so
- put a fan near the area to help it dry faster
- carefully separate the new paper and the wax paper, starting at one end
- enjoy the detail
- make those craft dreams a reality
Craft!
Here are a few of the ways we used our finished hydrangea paper.
How would you use handmade hydrangea paper?
Tell us in the comments below!
2 Responses
I wish you stated how much of each ingredient is needed to make the paper. We’ve been saving hydrangea and other dried blooms to make this but have no idea how much we need….. can you help? Thanks so much!!
It all depends on how many sheets you’d like to make. If you’d like to make a lot of paper, I’d get a two-gallon bucket half full of shredded paper. In terms of flowers, it depends on how dense you’d like them on the paper. If you’d like them scattered like you see in this example, you’ll only need 5 or so hydrangeas. Thankfully these materials go a long way!