More papers from the 2013 Etsy Papermakers Guild swap

I promised some more of the excellent papers which were swapped among the members of the Etsy Papermakers Guild and I have five more to share today.  See the post directly below if you didn't see the first five.

Using Eastern style materials and equipment, Gayle Fitzpatrick sent this washi or hanji style paper.  It is wonderfully thin with a convincing crackle and snap when popped between the fingers. This paper would be a great vehicle for pen and ink, either calligraphy or sumi-e. More of Gayle's papers can be found at Papermaker's Etsy shop.

This embossed sample came from MaidofPaper. She created to basis with recycled papers and used a texture mat when pressing to create the embossment. The recycled papers give this paper a soft hand, yet it doesn't bring to mind "paper towel" like many other recycled pulps.  I can see this being used as an artistic matting around a photograph or an underlayment in the presentation of a letterpress sampler. This would also make excellent material for the collage artist.  I hope MaidofPaper can tell us where we can see more of her work.

Several more paper artists used botanical inclusions. These flower petals of the white shasta daisy are a very striking addition to the yellow recycle papers in this recipe by Betty Hendrick.  The recycled papers must have been of good quality because this sample has a nice tight feel with just a little weight, almost like a linen laid paper. The daisy petals are both worked into the pulp and laid across the face of the sheet, only one had managed to slip its bonds on our piece. This would make a wonderful party or even a casual wedding invitation. Much more of Betty's work at her shop.

While flower petals are pretty, the vegetable patch can be downright beautiful!  Who would have thought about asparagus paper?  Our Phred has made some mustard and lemongrass and even corn paper, but asparagus?  Wow!  Judy Dominic created this mixture of our old friend abaca and asparagus and cooked it all in a pretty traditional Western papermakers method then dried it on glass windows in the sun.  Yum yum, this almost looks good enough to nosh on.... So deeply flecked with green. What a great paper for writing summer sonnets, capturing the poetry of spring robins and jays, or just making your essential grocery list for the May Day Party. Please, Judy, tell us where we can see more of your papers!

Now who doesn't not like blue? This beauty of a sheet is from Betsy Dollar? (sorry if I have the name wrong)  Three layers of pulp sprayed thinly with a different coloration all add up to this gorgeous sheet.  A nice firm hand, eminently writable, this paper could be every persons diary or journal. In different colors it would be a riotous rainbow of a book.  Betsy, tell me what your Etsy store is named!

More to come in the next few days, the goodies just keep coming out of the envelope.