A few weeks back, I was talking to my sister, and she was telling me about an independent band called Cloud Cult. Cloud Cult  produces all of the items on their website's online store out of organic and recycled materials. The items that stood out to me specifically, were the DVD paper inserts that were created with organic inks on plantable seed paper.

At the time I had never heard of seed paper, and I was amazed and intrigued by the concept! However, a week ago I read an article in Handmade News, Green Wise section about plantable seeded bookmarks and gift tags. The article talks about a company called Plantable Papers that specializes in products created from seeded paper.

As I was reading the article, I started to remember a papermaking kit that I had as a child, and I thought, "Wouldn't it be fun to create my own seed paper. I remember the process of creating recycled paper to be fairly simple; all that was needed was warm water, some old paper, a framed screen, a wide basin, and a blender. It seems to me that the only ingredients I'd have to change or add would be paper that has only organic ink on it, and some flower seeds!

So, here's what you do to create your own plant-able seed paper:

1. First, gather the materials mentioned in the paragraph above. Make sure that the paper you use contains organic inks, so that it isn't harmful to the environment (chances are if it's something that you've printed on from your inkjet printer, then it isn't organic.) Materials to make the screen can be purchased at any local hardware store; basically all you would need would be some wood for the frame, and a small piece of screen. The basin must be wide enough to lay the screen flat in.

2. After you've collected your materials, start shredding the paper by hand into small pieces.

3. Next, fill the blender halfway with your paper shreds, and then fill it to the top with warm water (the heat in the water will help to separate the paper particles.) Run the blender on low, and then gradually increase the speed until you have a smooth pulp. Once you have a pulp, knead the seeds into it so that they are spread throughout.

4. Fill the basin partway with water, and place the screen in the basin. Then, pour the pulp mixture into the water above the screen, and start sifting the screen back and forth while lifting it out of the basin. The pulp on top of the screen will probably still be a little thick, so while still positioned above the basin, start to press down on the pulp to squeeze the excess water out.

5. As the last step, you will need to dry the paper. You could use a hair dryer, but the point of this exercise was to create something Green Wise. Instead, lay the screen near a sunlit window, and give it about a day to fully dry (unless there's a lot of excess water still, in which case it may take longer.) After it's fully dried, just peel the paper off of the screen, and... Voila! You now have your very own handmade seeded paper!

You can mix it up a little by adding organic colored tissue papers, or even leaves or flower petals! You can write on your paper by using food coloring pens, and send them out as cards that your family and friends will enjoy. Or, use them as promo cards for your business, and let your clients know how environmentally friendly you are. Regardless of what you decide to use them for, you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you did your own little part to help out our ecosystem.