Plantable Cards

In celebration of Earth Day later this week,  I thought I'd share this project with you guys.  This is a plantable greeting card.  It's made with used paper, blended to a pulp, with seeds embedded.  The idea is when you give a card to someone, that person can plant the card and get flowers in the near future.  I bet they would make good gift tags as well. 

So here's how to make them.

Materials:

white paper, the more print ink you have on it, the darker gray it is

hot water

seeds

embroidery hoop

screen or tulle fabric

cardboard reverse cut-out of the shape you want.

foil

spatula or something similar to spread

towels for drying.

How to:

1. Tear the paper into small bits. I tore them to about 1 inch squares.

2. Place paper bits in a blender.  Add hot water (enough to cover the water) and blend til it's somewhat smooth pulp.

3. Remove the pulp from a blender, let mixture cool down to room temperature, and stir in the seeds.  (I used a full packet of California Golden Poppies).  The ratio of paper to seed really depends on how dispersed you want the seeds.

4. Take your cardboard and wrap it in foil.  Stretch the tulle or screen on the embroidery hoop so it's taut.  Place the foil wrapped cardboard shape on top of the embroidery hoop. You're now ready to add the pulp and start making the paper.

5.  Place a towel under the embroidery hoop and screen.  Start spreading the pulp mixture into the card cut out.  Use the spatula to lay the pulp mixture evenly.

6. Remove the cardboard top, and place a towel on top and press down gently.  

7.  Transfer onto the towel by turning over onto the towel, and peeling away the embroidery loop. Place a dry folded towel on top and press down (be sure you're on a flat surface).Let dry on the towel for a full day, or until it's completely dry.  Once it's half dry, if you want to transfer it to a dryer towel, feel free to do so.  

8.  After it's fully dry, carefully fold the paper into a card, and begin to decorate it.  I chose to use simple colored pencils to draw a picture of the flower that the seed represents.  The paper can be planted just like regular seeds.  Just place it on the ground with a  layer of dirt. The card can also be cut into pieces and planted in different locations.

I placed a small piece of the seed paper on top of a sponge in a small saucer with water, so I can take a picture of the seeds sprouting.

That's it.  Enjoy giving out your card. 

Happy Earth Day! Remember to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.