Turn Sunday's Newspaper Into Monday's Framed Portrait

Did you know Sunday’s newspaper could become Monday’s framed portrait?  

Not only can you use old newspaper to make decorative sheets of artisanal paper, you can run it through the printer too.

In this episode of DIY This With Jennifer Perkins learn how to make paper that can be used in card making, gift wrap or run through the printer.

Supplies:

• newspaper
• dedicated blender
• craft paint
• vat or bin
• screen
• picture frame
• scissors
• cooking spray
• old towels
• glitter
• printer

Using a picture frame make what is called a deckle. You will need to remove the glass and stand, use only the frame portion.

Measure the frame on a piece of screen and cut two pieces of screen to that size. Attach one of the screen pieces to the picture frame. Be sure the screen is pulled tight.

Tear the newspaper into shreds. (In the video above, there are also options for using toilet paper and paper towels.)

In a blender combine a fist full of newspaper and water. (Go slow, blending too much paper at once could burn out the motor on your blender.) Add paint to the mix. Darker more saturated colors of paint are better when working with newspaper.

Fill the plastic bin with the pulp mixture.

Spray the deckle (frame with screen) lightly with cooking oil and submerge it in the bin. Pull the deckle up and the screen should have acted as a fence catching the red paper pulp. Add embellishments like glitter or confetti on top.

Coat the second piece of screen with cooking spray and place it on top of the paper. Blot it dry with old towels. When most of the moisture has been absorbed, remove the top screen and flip the piece of paper out of deckle and onto towels for drying. Most sheets take 24 hours to dry. You can also speed up the process with a hairdryer.

Trim edges of dry paper smooth. If you're going to print a photo on your new paper, choose a black and white photo with high contrast for best results. Insert the paper into your printer and hit print.

Frame your picture, make it into a card or use it in a scrapbook. Hard to believe that this decorative piece was once a sheet of newspaper.