(re-post)
Wanting a shallow bowl in which to put my safety pins that I use like straight pins when making garments and which don't work well in a pin cushion, I remembered such a bowl from the past.
Yep, I had a cardboard carton of eggs in the frig in the shade of cement. The remaining eggs are now balanced in the lid. (Reminder to self: open and close frig door gently.)
I tore the egg carton into small pieces and soaked them in hot water for a bit, then put them in the blender with enough water to cover and whirled until it turned into mush. Proper name for mush when making papery things is slurry.
(It is advised not to use a blender you use for food to do this. Not sure why but you have been advised. This blender is actually used only for paper making but has been doing double duty
because the food one is waiting on a part. I may find out why the advice has been given.)
I added some dried rosemary and scented geranium leaves for fragrance and look to the slurry once it was blended and then poured it (over the sink) into this colander and then put it into a bowl while pressing the slurry evenly into the colander. I wanted a rustic edge but this could be cut straight once it is all dried.
Then I took some of my 'cloud' handspun and put bits and pieces on top of the slurry. What you can't see (I forgot to photograph it) is that I took some lengths of that wool and laid it randomly on the bottom of the colander first.
You can sort of see it here.
The colander then got put on a floor hot air register until it dried but it would have been put outside in the sun and wind if the weather had been sunny and windy. On top of a counter would do as well.
Once dried it had shrunk a bit so came out of the container quite easily.
This is it.
And here, holding the pins so they are easily accessible.
All sorts of fibre can be used. I just had a thought that newspaper colour comics could be used in the mug-deep tea strainer and which would be a fun container for a certain two-year-old I know. We've started collecting things on our walks and such a vessel would be easier on the 'collection' than our pockets.