Some Beautiful Paper

I went to London this weekend and whilst looking around some of the art shops I found this amazing paper made by banyantreecrafts, it is really beautiful and I wish I could afford to buy more! There were loads of different textures and imprints on the papers. The one I bought is brown and lightish brown where leaves have been printed or pressed onto the paper. I have put it on my wall, I may frame it.

'The traditional paper-making techniques used have been handed down through generations of artisans. This particular project is run by two brothers and their cousin, themselves second-generation Tibetan refugees, seeking to improve the lives of fellow refugees trying to build a new life in Nepal. It currently employs 160 people from under-privileged backgrounds.

Every sheet of paper is handmade individually on a muslin screen, making each one unique & giving a natural, uncut edge to the paper. After drying in the sunshine the paper is dyed using a variety of vegetable & chemical dyes, including Tibetan tea, walnut shells and pomegranate. Traditional hand screen printing techniques are used for the decorated giftwrap.'

In the shop there were many other handmade products including books, frames, purses, plates, ceramics, mugs, the liest goes on, all made with eco consideration and from across the world. Many of the products were made by Paperhigh who make a lot of books and paper in interesting ways using all sorts of materials such as bananas! On the website you can read about the history and the people who make the products.

I love paper making as I discovered in Communication Technology 2, I really want to do more, I wonder if I could do it at home too?