The easiest way of hand-making paper

You will need:

• non-newspaper waste paper,
  cardboard,
• scissors,
• potato starch (or cold starch – starch paste),
• rolling pin,
• absorbent paper or cotton cloths,
• bowl, water,
• mixer or food processor

and additionally plants or objects for decorating the paper.

1. Prepare scrap paper, preferably not newsprint. Paper from old notebooks or copy paper will work best! If you use unwritten parts of paper, the paper you make will be white.
2. Tear up or cut the scrap paper into small pieces. Place it in a bowl of hot water, preferably overnight, or speed up the soaking process by boiling it in water in a pot.
3. Cut a window in a thick piece of cardboard, the shape of which will match your desired paper shape.
4. Grind the soaked paper in a food processor or blender for several seconds, making sure the paper pieces are not visible. Add water to the grinding mixture; the mixture should not be too thick. Grind the paper in batches.
5. Add cold starch to the ground mixture according to the proportions given on the package. Stir.

6. Lay down a layer of cardboard, then place the cardboard with the window you cut out on top.
7. Pour the ground pulp into the window. Hold the cardboard pieces firmly as you pour the ground pulp. If you want to decorate the paper with plants or other thin decorative objects, now is the time to place them on the freshly poured paper surface. To help the objects blend better into the newly formed paper, gently pour thinned pulp over them.
8. To squeeze out excess water, place an absorbent layer of cotton cloths or newspaper on the cardboard with the pulp. Run a kitchen roller over them, being careful not to damage the surface of the paper.
9. Remove the cloth or newspaper from the surface of the paper. Once done, leave the paper to dry in a dry and well-ventilated place.