Instructions
- Step 1: Create a stencil Unfold a small, one-piece cardboard box and trace it onto a piece of cardboard or thick plastic that is the same size as your mold and deckle. Then cut out the shape using the craft knife to create a box stencil.
- Step 2: Dip the stencil in a vat of pulp Place the box stencil between your mold and deckle. Dip the mold and deckle with the stencil sandwiched in between into the vat of pulp at a 45-degree angle and draw them toward you.
- TIP: The mold is a frame with a screen stretched across the top. The deckle, keeps the pulp from running off the mold. If you cannot find a mold and deckle at a crafts store, construct your own from two flat picture frames, with a screen attached to one of them.
- Step 3: Raise the stencil from the vat Raise the mold, deckle, and stencil to the surface in one continuous motion. Then remove them from the pulp. Allow the water to drain and shake the mold and deckle from side to side to allow the paper fibers to settle.
- Step 4: Remove the box form from the stencil Remove the deckle and transfer the layer of pulp inside the stencil to a damp cloth on a flat surface by placing the mold upside down on the surface, tapping the screen and then raising the mold up. Let the paper dry.
- Step 5: Assemble the box Assemble the box by folding and gluing or taping the edges using the disassembled box as a guide.
- FACT: In 1869, the American entrepreneur John Knox offered a $100 reward for the “best type of Gift box” to hold strawberries.
You Will Need
- A box
- A cardboard sheet plastic sheet
- A craft knife
- A mold and deckle
- A vat of paper pulp
- A damp cloth
- A flat surface
- Glue or tape
- Two flat picture frames (optional)
- A screen (optional)
