To celebrate spring/Ostara and the planting and sowing of seeds, here is a fun activity that you might want to try. My kids are going to make some this week and see if we can use them as packaging for their homemade soaps.
Step 1:
Gather together a large pile of recyclable paper. This may include newspaper, egg cartons, tissue paper, phone book pages, paper grocery bags, scraps of unprinted computer paper. After you have gathered your paper, tear and shred it into very small pieces. Half-fill your blender container with the freshly torn pieces of paper.
Step 2:
Pour some warm water over the pieces of paper in your blender container. Continue pouring the water into your blender container until it has filled to the max level. Turn the blender on low speed for about ten seconds. After ten seconds, begin increasing the speed for about thirty seconds more. After this there should be no visible paper flakes remaining.
Step 3:
Add about a teaspoon of wildflower seeds into the mixture and STIR them in. After you have added the seeds, pour the mixture into a strainer and get rid of as much water as possible. You can use a spoon or spatula to press the mixture against the strainer to squeeze as much water as you can from the pulp.
Step 4:
You will now need to lay out a piece of terry cloth, microfiber towel, or flannel on a flat surface. Dump the pulp onto the fabric and use a spoon or spatula to spread the pulp over the fabric. You can spread it into any shape you want, just be sure to spread it as thin as possible to ensure it dries quicker. After you have spread the pulp, use a sponge to flatten the mixture and soak up more water. After the pulp has dried on one side, turn it over and allow the other side to dry completely. Once both sides are dry, your seed paper is ready for use.
How to use your paper:
To grow your wildflower paper, simply put it on a pot of soil, locate it somewhere warm and light, and keep it moist.
Happy spring!
