DIY - seed bombs

spring is coming!  and the weather in san diego this past weekend proves it.  so we got a little jump start on the season with a fun and easy project.  have you ever made your own paper?  i remember as a kid, taking ripped up scrap paper and getting it wet before spreading it out on a screen to dry into a sheet of paper.  easy, messy and fun for a kid, right?  i recently came across a blog that reminded me of how easy and fun making your own paper can be.  then she blew my mind when she added a tutorial for making your own seed bomb.  what's a seed bomb?  basically, it's a paper ball with flower seeds in it that you can toss into any abandoned lot to make pretty flowers grow.  or you can purposely plant them too i guess, but guerrilla gardening sounds so much cooler.  here's how we made ours...

first, get the cutest assistant possible to help you out. next,  decide if you want to use a mold or you can just squeeze the paper into a ball.  we went with heart molds.

we used a food processor (though a blender would probably be easier/better) and hot tap water mixed with shred paper.  you can use shred or any scraps of paper or newspaper you have lying around.

you also need a strainer of some sort.  this works well for for forming seed bombs but if you want to make nice flat paper you should use a flatter screen.

decide what kind of seeds to include.  we went with an easy flower mix. 

mix the paper and hot water until you get a nice mush

take that mush and add it to a bowl or dish with more water in it

yep, it's mixed up really well

strain the mix

sprinkle seeds into the formed ball.  at this point you can be done (just take the ball out and place somewhere safe to dry.  or you can continue on to the molds.

you don't have to use a sponge but i read that it can speed up drying time.  these will take at least 24 hours to dry.

once they're dry, pop them out and gift them to your favorite gardeners!  happy spring!