Setting Fire to Paper

So things have been a tad easier since now I am home with my little one.  Between the feeding, the diaper changing and the cranky sessions I have atually had the time to write and be creative!  I made old paper the other day, to which I haven't in more times that I cannot remember.  Many people wanted to know how, so here are the steps. :

Step 1---First, get tea.  You obviously can get this tea at your local supermarket.  I use this brand because it's a darker tea. 

  

 Step 2---put water in something a piece of paper would fit in to and place a tea bag into the water as shown.  I've used other bowls, but this one works out the best with it being flat on the bottom.  Maybe a small casserole dish would work.  Keep the tea back in there while you are making the paper.

 Step 3---Crumple it into a ball.

 Step 4 ---Gently uncrumple the paper and let it soak in there for a few minutes.

 Step 5 ---Gently unfold the paper and place it flat on the counter.  Because it will rip, naturally, it will tear or maybe make a hole or two in the paper.  That's okay.  This paper is meant to look old timey.

 Step 6 ---Next, you're going to want to lay it flat on the ground.

 Step 7---  You have two options here.I used to hang out the paper to dry on a clothes line type thing, and then burned the edges the next day, but being that this is a HUGE project(and a messy one), the hubby suggested I use a hair dryer and it worked perfectly!!!  Now, turn the hair dryer on and let it hit the paper. With the force of the air, it might make the paper crinkle more. Leave it alone for a few minutes and just let the warm air hit it.  When the paper gets a little less soggy(The edges usually dry first) pick it up at rotate it to the parts where it is less dry. 

Now, it's time to burn.  When I took these pictures, I wasn't smart.  While the fire alarm didn't go off, it made THE ENTIRE apartment smell a god awful scent so you might want to do this part outside. It's going to get seriously messy now, so it would be wise to move this outside.  Obviously, this is a project that deals with FIRE, so be wary of your surroundings. If you notice in the upper left corner, I had a failed attempt.  Get a non plastic plate(a kitchen one will do fine), a glass of water, a votive candle and a q-tip.

Hubby came up with the idea of using the Q-tip to make a water line all around the page.  This way, the fire won't burn beyond the water mark.  Make a soaked line--- be generous--- around the paper.  Now, I usually have the hubby help me(because I have limited motor skills.

Here's one piece.....



Okay, Now you can see some of my papers.  There are black marks on the paper, which is fine.  Makes it more authentic, I think.  I never mail this paper in the same type of envelope.  I did this process to an envelope(minus the burning) and it ended up breaking in the mail. The recipient received it though, in an envelope they used instead.  An "envelope in an envelope" type thing.

Usually with these letters, I do a wax seal. You can get your sealing supplies in the wedding isle of a Michael's store.  I don't put it directly on the paper; I use a strip of regular paper, wrap it around the folded letter, and "glue" it closed by using the wax.  This way, too, the recipient can just slide the wax seal off, instead of ripping the old paper.

Now, this isn't an easy creative idea.  This takes time, so be sure to be patient.  You can always stop around step 7.  You can hang the paper on a clothes line type thing.  With clothespins or something clever you may think of instead of clothespins.  You don't want to roll them over the line, you want it to dry so it can get as much air as possible.  I found this hard though(because of my motor skills), because there often would be unwanted rips in the paper.  The hair dryer is much easier.

And there you have it.
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below.