Shortlist

Recipes that flex around what you have.

Filter by time, group and setting. Difficulty tags tell you how much prep is involved.

Matching on Used tea leaves · Kitchen waste

Properties we’ll match against: P01, P06, P20. Sorted by how many of these properties each recipe uses.

21 recipes

Bioplastic (cast film)Beginner15 min active48 h total

Gelatine bioplastic

A cast flexible film made by dissolving gelatine with water and a plasticiser, then drying on a flat non-stick surface. Supports optional fillers, pigments and foraged powders without losing clarity.

Bioplastic (cast film)Beginner20 min active36 h total

Agar bioplastic

A vegan alternative to gelatine, using agar agar as the film-former. Sets firmly on cooling and dries to a tough sheet. Well-suited to foraged fillers.

Bioplastic (cast film)Beginner15 min active36 h total

Starch bioplastic

The classic kitchen bioplastic: starch, water, vinegar and glycerine, cooked to a clear gel and poured thin.

DoughBeginner20 min active3 h total

Salt dough

Flour, salt and water kneaded into a dough, baked until hard. Forage adds texture, colour and smell.

DoughBeginner30 min active48 h total

Paper clay

A putty made from pulped paper and a starch paste. Dries to a lightweight, carveable solid.

Leather / sheetBeginner45 min active48 h total

Coffee leather

Coffee grounds bound with gelatine or agar, cast thin and dried slowly into a pliable sheet.

InkBeginner30 min active168 h total

Tannin-and-iron ink

The classic iron gall ink. Tannins meet iron salts and darken to a deep grey-black that oxidises further with time.

InkBeginner20 min active2 h total

Berry ink

A simple drawing ink from berries, vinegar and salt. Beautiful but rarely lightfast.

InkBeginner20 min active1 h total

Soot ink

A black carbon ink from soot or fine charcoal, bound with gum arabic or flour paste.

Dye bathBeginner60 min active24 h total

Onion skin dye

One of the reliable household dyes. Brown onion skins give golden tones on wool and cotton.

Dye bathBeginner90 min active24 h total

Avocado skin dye

A soft rose-pink from avocado skin and stone. Surprising to first-timers.

Dye bathBeginner45 min active2 h total

Red cabbage pH dye

A pH-sensitive dye that shifts from pink to blue to green as acid or alkali are added.

Dye bathBeginner120 min active12 h total

Bark and hull tannin dye

A brown-spectrum dye from bark, walnut husk, or acorns. Naturally self-mordanting thanks to its tannin load.

AdhesiveIntermediate40 min active1 h total

Pine resin adhesive

A hot-melt adhesive from pine resin, beeswax and a dark filler. Traditional for tool-handles, fletching and canoe seams.

Composite (pressed)Intermediate45 min active72 h total

Sawdust / coffee puck

A dense wood-like puck made from fine powder pressed with a hot binder. Close to pressed MDF but compostable.

Composite (pulp)Beginner60 min active96 h total

Paper pulp brick

Recycled paper pulp pressed into moulds and dried into lightweight bricks or boards. A home insulation or craft base.

Composite (pulp)Beginner45 min active96 h total

Leaf-mulch board

Autumn leaves blitzed with a binder and pressed into a soft, fibrous board.

Composite (pressed)Intermediate45 min active72 h total

Nutshell composite

Ground nutshell (walnut or hazel) pressed with a starch binder. Tough, dense, subtly marbled.

FinishIntermediate30 min active

Milk paint

A traditional paint of curds, lime and pigment. Matte, deep, fully natural.

FinishBeginner15 min active

Egg tempera

A medieval paint of egg yolk and pigment. Dries quickly, fine detail, long-lived.

PaperBeginner60 min active24 h total

Recycled hand-made paper

Waste paper pulped and set in a deckle to make fresh sheets. Absorbent, deckle-edged, suitable for printing and drawing.