Friday Finds: making mulberry bark paper

I’d often wondered how Mulberry bark paper was made and we recently had the opportunity to watch how it is made:

The bark which has been peeled off the tree is first left to dry. It’s then soaked in water until it’s soft. Once it’s soft it’s pounded with a hammer for 20 minutes until the fibres start to break up.

A handful or two is put into the pot, water is added and then vigorously stirred with a wooden implement that looks like a stick with a number of branches sticking out (a bit like a giant hairbrush).

When the fibres are completely broken up and the water just looks cloudy, it’s poured into the frame which sits in a bath of water. Handfuls of fresh cherry blossom (or other natual elements) are dropped onto the surface.

It is then swished around by hand until the fibres and blossom are evenly distributed. The frame is carefully lifted out of the water and drained.

It’s then propped up and left to dry in the sun for a couple of hours.

Voilà your mulberry bark paper is ready to be used in lampshades, writing paper, wrapping paper, purses, etc.

Friday Finds 14 November 2014

In November in south western Turkey these white flowers cover the hillsides after the first autumn rains. The flowers are daisies and what look like miniature narcissi. The narcissi, if that’s what they are, are only about 4 inches high

Texture Tuesday – free and easy 2014.11.12

a Buddha head on sale in a high class interior decoration store near us. I used Kim’s Simple texture and reduced the opacity.

sharing with Kim and others

Friday finds: the painted house

Back in my home town of Bristol in the UK a couple of weeks ago, I went on a walk through historic Cotham, Kingsdown and finally into Stokes Croft, where I found this beautifully painted house

and these lamp posts which had been subjected to a “yarn attack” (The activity of covering things in public spaces (e.g. lampposts, trees, statues etc.) with knitted or crocheted items)

Texture Tuesday: perfectly imperfect

“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it” – Confucius

textured with Kim’s crackerjack, blended in linear burn and opacity reduced.

Find some more perfect imperfections here.

Texture Tuesday: light

Light, textured with Kim’s ‘play’ texture blended in soft light

This light was at our hotel in Kalkan, Turkey, which we visited on our Turkish road trip last year.

Friday finds: Valentine Samui style

Since Friday is Valentine’s day it seems fitting to share some Valentine images. It is always an occasion for splashing out on something colourful in Samui.