Possum’s Paper Stash

08/14/2026

Recap of Monday’s program 😊

08/13/2026

I recently had a program participant who inquired about nature collections and ways to display or keep them. I know they follow this page so I’m going to make a few suggestions here. An open shadow/trinket/printers box would work well if you wanted to easily change things up and adds a rustic vibe. A closed one would be great to keep items from dust. Linking an article for further reading for anyone who is interested in curating their collections in fun and fashionable ways. 😁

Ways to Display Collections without Clutter - from fish molds in Maine to my sand collection in acrylic boxes with DYMO labels.

08/06/2026

Painty golden papers drying in Possum’s loft. “But Possum, that shiny gold paint doesn’t seem very natural? Aren’t you supposed to be all eco-friendly?” Well, I thrifted a few bottles of acrylic paint from a second hand store, so at least it wasn’t wasted! And I used up lots of packing paper that was in my stash! But seriously, I’m trying to source some earth friendly paint for my future endeavors, but have to use up the old and not let it go to waste. These golden beauties will be used in the Ancient Egyptian junk journal workshop because besides pyramids, nothing screams Ancient Egypt like GOLD!

08/06/2026

Next week Possum is headed to Florham Park, NJ with her Adventures in Junk Journaling workshop. There will be an Ancient Egyptian theme and Possum will be repeating the workshop in Piscataway on the 22nd. All materials used in the workshop (except the glue sticks) have been obtained second hands or rescued from the bin. That makes Possum’s day!

07/23/2026

Ever since trying out plant based methyl cellulose as a glue, I have been trying to find ways to use it to make art surfaces from waste paper for mixed media projects. Because the glue has water in it, paper and cardboard warp. But, I found that allowing these items to fully dry and putting them under a pile of books works nicely to flatten them out. See below for the process of my first two attempts using food packaging, book pages and tissue paper. Looking forward to making some more upcycled ‘canvases’ and starting to create some art.

07/16/2026

Sustainability and being kind to creation is a big part of Possum’s ethos. While thrifting, I came across a type of plant based bookmaking glue Methyl Cellulose (packaged in a brown bag)
and I’m giving it a try. No plastic container. My lotus book pages are adhering well. The stuff is compostable, biodegradable and non-toxic. I know I can replace the usual glue stick in my upcoming artist book class and will keep experimenting for other workshops. Possum is happy! And my thrift find is old because it came from West Germany, which no longer exists.

07/15/2026

I want to master this skill, after I complete my World Beyond Word class, Medieval Dragon drawing sample class and several other skills I want to learn. Exciting times!

07/15/2026

A new class- Artist Books: The Lotus Fold. Registration opens on August 8, class is on August 22. See first comment for details.

07/10/2026

While Pretty Pocket Notebooks is all full, there are still a couple of spots available for Flower Power, an Adventure in Junk Journaling. 1 pm tomorrow, more details in the first comment of the original post 🌺🌻🌸💪