Raffia's chief appeal for craft projects and decorations is that it is strong but soft and pretty, and can be dyed lots of colors. Raffia is a plant fiber that comes from a type of palm tree, but you can make a substitute from items you probably have at home. Fake raffia is a great project if you have lots of extra junk paper to use up or you want to be super frugal and make your own for decorating packages or making crafts.
Instructions
1. Dye your paper first, if desired. If you are dying brown paper, realize the color may not show up well or may be very muted. For bright colors, use white paper, the heavier kraft kind.
2. Mix Rit dye with water according to the instructions on the package. Submerse your paper into the dyed water in a plastic tub such as a baby bath for about a minute to let the color soak in, or longer for brighter color.
3. Take out the dyed paper and place it on drying trays or racks; paper towels underneath are wise to avoid staining counters or tables. Allow it to dry for several hours.
4. When dry, cut the paper into manageable sizes to fit into the feed of a paper shredder. Clear any other shreds out of the shredder's basket or hopper, so they don't get mixed in with your fake raffia.
5. Run the paper through the shredder carefully, without forcing. It may work more slowly than it does on office paper because of the thickness of the dyed paper. You will end up with lots of short lengths of fake raffia for your projects.
Tags: dyed paper, paper into, your paper