I owe my basic technique to my first papermaking teacher, Helen Schram. She taught a class I took in the Los Angeles area in 1991, and I was instantly enchanted. I started scouring bulletin boards for expired notices on colored papers. I picked through public trash cans for colored paper. And of course, I harvested my junk mail for raw materials.

I started to create my own technique for pressing out the sheets, and I introduced my friends to hand papermaking. Eventually, I started teaching my technique at a few adult education programs, first in the Los Angeles and now in the Boston area.

One important lesson I have retained from Helen is a passion for earth-friendly papermaking. I use recycled water, trashed materials, and air drying as much as possible. My blender is electric, but it was bought used at a yard sale. I do buy card stock, but only from recycled paper. I've also gotten some Freecycled card stock a few precious times!

I know other papermakers teach techniques for making cotton papers, or linen papers, or even vegetable papers. I personally don't want to buy specially prepared pulps, or get involved in energy-intensive or hazardous techniques that involve cooking the pulps or soaking the pulps in toxic chemicals, so I don't make those kinds of paper. My goal is making paper from the bountiful materials in my own trash can, without chemicals and without virgin materials as much as possible. If that's your goal too, then I hope you enjoy exploring my website and trying earth-friendly papermaking for yourself!