Homemade Paper & Stationary Sets

I love writing thank you notes-real notes in my handwriting using a pen and a piece of paper.
Not an email, a texts or a tweets. A note that comes in an envelope with a stamp on it.

There’s only one thing better than a handwritten thank you note.

A handmade and handwritten thank you note.

This process takes less than an hour to do, plus dry time, and provides an impressive finished product. Let’s get started on making some fancy stationary, shall we?

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own stationary:

A picture frame (I made mine from scrap lumber)
Blender
Sponge
Window Screen as large as the frame
Recycled paper, construction paper, newspaper, etc
Dried Flowers (If desired)
Paper Towels and Hand towels
Envelopes
Staple Gun
Utility Knife
A plastic bin larger than the frame (I used my sink, instead)

Begin by stapling the screen to the backside of your picture frame. Make sure the screen is securely attached. Over-do it, I give you permission.

Tear the paper into pieces about 2″ or smaller. Fill your blender with the paper, but don’t compress the paper. Add water until the blender is about 2/3 full.

Press the ‘pulse’ button several times to get the mixture going. Then, switch to ‘puree’, until the mixture has almost a smoothie consistency. I did this process several times to create enough of the mixture for the amount of paper I wanted to make.

Fill your plastic bin or in my case, my sink, with the mixture, adding water until it is about 4″ deep. I added enough water to my sink until the consistency resembled more of a soup like texture.

Dip your frame into the mixture, with the top of the frame facing up. Pull the frame out of the water slowly, allowing it to drain. You can even rest the frame on your bin to allow it to drain longer.

Add your dried flowers to the topside of the paper at this point.

Lay out hand towels and place several paper towels on top of them.

Flip your frame over on top of the paper towels. Allow the paper to release itself from the screen slowly. Use a sponge to gently remove as much excess water that you can from the paper. Allow the paper to dry for several hours.

Once the paper is dry, tear it by hand to fit the size of envelopes that you have. Save any scraps to be used as name tags for the final product.

I made a stationary ‘set’ out of four pieces of the homemade paper with four envelopes. I then decorated the sets with scrap ribbon and ric-rac that I had on hand, adding buttons on a couple for a little extra ‘wow’ factor.

I used the scrap pieces of my homemade paper as name tags to accompany the sets.

My homemade stationary sets were a big hit with the family-or so they told me. I choose to believe them.

Top Ten of 2010

I don’t know about you, but I feel overwhelmed when I search through other blogger’s archives. I stare at entry after entry wondering where to begin. One way to make your life easier was to narrow down ten of my favorite posts for you.

Learn how to make your own ‘Stingy Green Cleaners’ using non-toxic and cheap items-with the help of Kermit the Frog.
Now, who doesn’t love cheap and who doesn’t love Kermie?

You may not be ready to tackle re-finishing your Hardwood Floors, but come along with me on my journey. It’s gonna be a weird one.

Check out our crazy house on the Home Tour.

As Grandma moves into town, I capture what may be my last visit to the Family Farm.

Men make such a difference in the lives that surround them. Check out why I am the way that I am-thanks, Dad.

It took several weeks for Biceps and I to build this shed, dubbed-‘The Big Girl Playhouse’. What an adventure and what a marital learning experience…I don’t think we’ll do this again.

With the fall comes my love for Meatloaf. Check out my Tasty Turkey Meatloaf for the complete tutorial.

Before Biceps, I was determined to move out to Colorado and rock climb, white water raft and not shave for as long as my heart desired. Thankfully, I met Biceps and stayed put. Tulsa has a small but sufficient site to at least my rock climbing fix once in awhile.

My Banana Bread Recipe is one of my favorite treats to make for others…and me…

Handmade notes mean the world to me. I highlight a few from both friends and family that I have kept for years.

I hope that your year has been fantastic! Thank you for sharing in my journey through last year. I think this year will be even better.

Almost Death, Almost a New Year.

The moodiness and the loneliness of a Connecticut fall day called to me from inside the bus. Once the parking brake was engaged, I hopped out, climbing past the railroad tracks ahead of me.
In doing so, I tripped and scuffed my very cool boots. I stopped for a moment to survey the landscape and to say, ‘dang it’ under my breath. And then ask God to forgive me for using such foul language.

The world was quiet and cold. My boot was marred and mad. I was sorry and hungry.
Elbow on hip and with my breath held, I lowered my camera lens and waited for the moment.

Dotting the elusive horizon, islands barely large enough to cradle vacation homes, stood alone and silent. I knew what they were thinking. I felt it too.
We were all alone, but together-wishing for a brighter sky, a happier waterfront, a greener surrounding, a day off from tour (that was mostly me…).

Suddenly, a buzzing surged through the rails, tickling my booted feet.
I wondered if there could there be earthquakes happening this far north. I asked the others as they spilled out of the bus behind me. They shrugged, then went back to texting and throwing rocks at each other.
Men.

But, these train tracks were not forgotten.
In fact, they were very much in use. I thankfully watched from a safe distance as a high speed train screamed past while I was in the middle of throwing rocks at Biceps. I was either extremely lucky or I had engaged a sixth sense I didn’t know I had. It’s like when cows lay down prior to a thunderstorm.
Or like when you buy another bottle of ketchup, already thinking you have a back-up at home, but buy it anyways because you are at the store and you’ll save a trip-only to discover that when you get home, you don’t have a back-up and are so thankful you bought the ketchup earlier.
Or something like that.

“Who dun it?”

A Modern Tale of Men, Mayhem and Machine Guns
(alright, they weren’t machine guns. They were Rubber Band Guns, but I was going for the whole alliteration thing…)

Biceps and I made gifts for our family this year. The ladies received girly things. The men received very manly things. Fourteen Rubber Band Guns were crafted for the men. They received their new weaponry and enough ammunition to do some damage to the loved ones surrounding them.

With the guns loaded and the rules explained to young and old alike…

…and with every man suppressing way too much energy for way too stinkin’ long on Christmas day, the stage was ripe for a modern, ‘Who dun it’ scenario.

A fired gun and a naughty motive are all that it takes to convict a man. And there were several men in this predicament.

Father turned against son. Grandson turned against Grandfather. Brother threatened brother.

And then, a shot rang out. A door slammed.

The maid screamed.
And my father had been maliciously targeted by an unknown shooter…

…and hit! Oh, the pain! The agony!
The guilty party still has yet to step forward and admit to what they had done. But justice is swift in this house and you cannot hide from justice. Good luck hiding, guilty one. Good luck.