HandMade Paper from PE Island Tulips

Each Year I visit Vanco Tulip Farm and come away with 40 pounds of reject tulips. Vanco has strict quality controls and eliminate the short, small tulips that can't be sent to market. Tulips make gorgeous paper!

First the flowers must be separated from the leaves and stems. Then the green material must be set aside to weigh and cook. The small tulips are enjoyed for a few days but eventually the petals are dried to use as "inclusions" in the final piece of paper.

The long stringy fiber from the Tulip stem is beaten to a pulp and added to a large vat of water... In go the tulip petals and the pulp is pulled and drained to form a sheet of paper.

the wet paper is still very fragile but the excess water is pressed out causing the tiny fibers to further tangle. Finally the paper is dried and now is usable for many creative projects. I use my papers to make highly textured, colorful note cards