Boiled paper #2 - Your theme -

This is the second call for this experiment!! I was mesmerized when I discovered this, I have tried few times and would love a new round!!

Mandatory:

You must be at least 4.99 I reserve the right to ban at my own discretion I angel my swaps

Basics:

You have 2 partners
You send 4+ boiled papers made by you
Size; No smaller than 5*7 inches Theme: Your choice (it is a good opportunity to incorporate or dig further in possibilities and extras added to the pot as ink, are up to you)
You will include a note with the **swap's name and your SB- ID and you will post in the comments section of this swap about your experience so we all can get some useful feedback for the next time

At the bottom is a basic description of what I did in my first attempts, but please note that I received feedback by @rngstgstll on the same process done using a slow cooker and I think this could be a safer way to work it out the production (and you do not have to stare at the pot all the time you have it boiling lol!), quote: rngstgstll 12/17/2017: I tried mine in the slow cooker (elevated off the bottom by a small rectangular glass dish placed upside-down, weighted down on the top) with water in the bottom, placed on low for several hours. Really worked well!

Also, you can use vegetables and other natural/organic stuff to add color or texture to the papers :-) All is up to you as long as boiled paper!

You can get some inspiration at boiled books

Below you can see also, a basic tutorial in 3 parts:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

My experience:

My insight for this is below:

Choose the paper you're going to use (my first attempt was with watercolor paper 104 gms and worked fine but you use what you have)

Cut each page in half and fold each half in an equal way

Pick the flowers, leaves and etc you're going to transfer

Arrange your foliage inside the half pages and press one against the other until you have the whole stack of papers filled

Hold both ends with something that keep the stack very tight (I used a brick and almost faint when I got the stack out of the boiling water because was too heavy, so try to use wood

Insert the pressed stack into the boiling water and wait

Boiling time is 1.5 hours

Water should be enough to cover the paper

Add 1 cup of vinegar to the water

If you're going to use ink, add it at least 5 minutes after paper was placed in the boiling water

Remember to use something light to hold the paper or it will get difficult to handle the whole thing

After the hour and a half, take the paper out of the water and untie the press and carefully wash each piece of paper with regular water. If you use branches that are larger than the paper size, it will help you to open the pages without ripping them

Remove the branches

Put to dry on a cloth to prevent the paper to stick to the surface Enjoy the patters :-)

Picture by boiled books