Plantable Paper

1. Collect paper to recycle. Unprinted paper or paper printed with soy inks work best. Most paper grocery bags, egg cartons, newspapers, and phonebooks are printed using eco-friendly inks.

2. Select a stencil and cut the plastic canvas to the same size. Use Duck Tape around the outer edges to tape it in place.

3. To make the paper pulp, use a paper shredder or tear scrap paper into small pieces. Fill the blender 3/4 full with paper scraps and add two cups of water. Blend for one minute on a low speed.

4. Pour the pulp into a strainer over a mixing bowl. Discard the excess water and place the wet pulp into the mixing bowl. Add flower or vegetable seeds and stir to mix. Biodegradable organic materials can also be added, such as flower petals, bark chips, leaves, or hemp strands.

5. Set the stencil on a folded kitchen towel, screen side down. With fingers, press the wet pulp onto the screen, filling the entire shape. Press the pulp with a sponge to flatten the pulp and remove excess water.

6. Allow it to dry 24–48 hours. Place it in a sunny, warm location to speed up drying.

7. When dry, remove the stencil from the screen, and embellish the shape with chalk pastels.

8. Both the stencil and screen can be used again!

Also need: various plant and flower seeds, blender, kitchen strainer, bowl