Make Your Own Paper from Plants

I have been making paper for over 15 years and I love every step, from wandering around outdoors scoping out the plants to removing the finished sheets from the drying rack. It is so satisfying to use something free and renewable to create something beautiful.  Collecting plants for papermaking opens your eyes to more of our world. The desire to learn more, naturally follows as you seek to identify species suitable to the craft.

Collecting iris leaves about 15 years ago.

I first made paper in a weekend workshop taught by an instructor through an Emily Carr College outreach program .  We used cotton linters, abaca, and Japanese Kozo fibres.  Before the weekend was through I was already thinking about local plants that I might try on my own.

Swamp grass:  collected dry in late fall on left, dried fresh in summer on right

In this step by step tutorial, I'll take you through my process of making plant fibre paper, from start to finish.  See the bottom of this post for a list of supplies and materials.

Thinking Spring!

Calendula on handmade paper card

The ground is still covered in snow but I'm thinking spring.  The days are getting longer and the sun is glowing warmer.  I especially love that I wake up naturally in the morning, to the light.  But this weekend it's time to 'spring ahead' to Daylight Savings Time and I'll need the jangle of the alarm clock to wake me up again.

While winter is a great time for collecting moose poo, the warmer weather means the sap will be running and it's time to gather the woody bast fibres like willow, red osier dogwood and alder barks for my papers.  Each season brings new treasures for my craft and they're free!

Moose Poo Paper - The Final Chapter

The moose poo paper is finished so I have started making cards for my Etsy shop.  I am using digitally altered photographs of moose that my husband and I have taken and some that have been contributed by my friends, August and Margaret Meutzner.  The photos are printed on handmade paper.  Each card varies slightly due to the type of handmade paper used for the print and the embellishments used.

The rest of the moose poo paper series can be found here:
Moose Poo Paper - Chapter One,
Moose Poo - Day Two, 
Moose Poo Paper - Chapter Three,
My Moose Poo Paper is USDA approved!






































My friends told me last night that they have collected 5 gallons of moose poo for me!  I haven't found much on my property this winter as it keeps getting covered with snow.  The moose have been regular visitors, though, so I'll find a lot in the spring.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer.

Moose Poo Paper - Chapter Three

After the moose poo has been boiled for almost 3 hours, it is strained in a paint straining bag and thoroughly rinsed until the water runs clear.  At this point, all that remains of the moose poo is the fine willow fibres and bark.  Now I put these plant materials in a bleach solution and let it soak for several hours before rinsing thoroughly once more.

This is the plant fibre that remains when the processing is completed.  It has no odour.

Next I mix the fibre with paper pulp that I make from recycled copy paper or other good quality paper.  The fibres that the moose has 'processed' are too short to make good paper without the addition of the recycled paper pulp.

Now I'm ready to start making moose poo paper.  The fibres are added to a water bath and with my mold and deckle I scoop some out of the water at the same time as I make a back and forth motion with the mold.  This is called "throwing the wave."

The water is drained off and the newly formed sheet of paper is released onto a smooth board.  This method produces nice flat sheets of paper with one smooth side.

The sheets of moose poo paper will be left on the board to dry for a day or two and then I'll make my cards.

Moose Poo Paper-Chapter 2

I got up early this morning so I could start processing the moose poo before I leave for work. It must have been old moose poo I used last time cause this stuff does not smell pleasant while it's simmering away in a soda ash solution. The lid is on tight and the window is open but it's not helping much. It's hard to describe the smell but it's not what you might think...just strongly organic.

I think I'll close my studio door tight and go do something else for a while.

Moose Poo Paper - Chapter One

I didn't get chocolates for Valentine's Day, but I did get moose poo...which kind of looks like chocolates . My husband startled a moose the day before when he was walking to his workshop, so he knew right where to take me.


Most women wouldn't be thrilled with this particular gift but I am. I want to make moose poo paper. I made it years ago and people are still asking for my moose poo paper cards. I originally got the idea from a Somerset Studio magazine article (Vol 1 Issue 4) about Matuvi (elephant dung) paper from Africa. I was intrigued, but since we don't have elephants in Canada, I had to come up with a different source. Moose were a natural choice since they are frequent visitors to my home, they are large, producing plenty of raw material, and they are herbivores.

The moose in our area feed primarily on willow which is a material that I often use in my hand papermaking. The fibres from the moose poo are considerably shortened, though, so recycled paper is added for strength.

The moose poo will be sterilized and processed to remove all the impurities that are unsuitable for paper and for handling. Surprisingly, the moose poo does not smell unpleasant while it is being processed, unlike some plant materials that have the smell of rotting silage.

I make moose poo paper because it is a novelty. And talk about recycling! There is something quite wonderful about making a useful and beautiful product out of such a base material.

Stay tuned!