I made a batch of paper using dye from boiled avocado skins. The dye itself looked quite dark, a very dark red, but it gave the paper the most beautiful soft pink color. That unexpected change is one of the things I enjoy about working with natural dyes. You are never completely certain what you will get.
When I had some pulp left over, I decided to try making a bowl. I added flower petals to the pulp, draped the wet sheets over an old metal bowl, and continued layering them until I thought there was enough to hold its shape. Then I left it alone to dry.
When I began removing it from the metal bowl, the paper started to tear. I was disappointed and assumed it was simply one of those projects that had not worked. I finally pulled it away, expecting to throw it out, and lo and behold, I was amazed by how cool it looked. The torn, uneven edges gave it a character I could never have planned.
I decided to work with those imperfections rather than hide them. I finished the edges with gold and added a layer of clear resin, which strengthened the bowl and brought out the soft pink color and the petals within the paper.
It now sits on my shelf holding a few knickknacks. I have made other paper bowls since then, but this is the one that gives me the greatest sense of accomplishment. Perhaps it is because I had already decided it was a failure, only to discover that it was not ruined at all. It simply needed me to look at it differently.
