All posts tagged: paper crafts

paper lanterns.

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Gearing up for Lunar New Year! I was recently asked to host a paper lantern workshop in celebration of Lunar New Year. I had never created a paper lantern before so I did some internetting to get design ideas. My friend Rebecca created a lantern template for me and you can download it here to create along. Gather materials and tools: Lantern template Printer access Red cardstock (8.5” x 11”) Gold cardstock Gold metallic marker Gold metallic embroidery floss, or similar Tassel maker (cardboard or other firm board works, too) Sewing needle with large eye Scissors (for paper and for fabric) Hot glue (can use tacky glue or other glue) Print the lantern template onto red cardstock. I like using 65lb cardstock. Cut out the lantern shapes. Use the gold metallic marker to outline each lantern. This can be done before cutting, too, if preferred. Use a craft needle to poke holes on each lantern “petal” (use the black dots on the template as a guide) and in the center of the lantern. The petal …

birthday hoops.

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It’s my birthday tomorrow! Also, Trolls World Tour comes out tomorrow on demand and I’m totally going to watch it because I’m turning 4 (x9)! I made some colorful hoops for the occasion (birthday/Trolls watch party). You can make some, too. Materials: Streamers (you can also use ribbons or yarn) Double-sided tape Embroidery (or other) hoop (I used the inner hoop for this project) Scissors String (for hanging) Cut strips of streamer paper however long you wish. You’ll use about 1 inch of each strip to wrap around the hoop. Attach crepe paper strips with double-sided tape. I placed tape on the edge of the paper strip, wrapped around the hoop, and taped onto the paper, versus taping onto the hoop. This was a personal preference, so I could shift the paper strips around as I put the hoop together. Add paper strips until the whole hoop is covered. Add four ties equidistant around the hoop. Then, tie the four strands together to form a loop for hanging. Hang and celebrate! Can you imagine a …

mini envelopes.

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Valentine’s is just around the corner. Here’s a super quick paper envelope DIY for the occasion (or any occasion!). For this craft you will need: paper, paper cutter, bone folding tool (or similar), and glue. Cut paper into a square, any size works. I cut out 5″ squares to form ~3.5″ by 2″ envelopes. Fold paper in half diagonally, open, fold in half diagonally the other way, and open. This creates guidelines. Use a bone folder to create crisp lines. Fold the left and right corners into the midline. Fold the bottom corner up, not quite to the midline. Fold the bottom ‘corners’ up, aligning the edges with the tip of the bottom corner. Add glue to the left and right flaps. Fold up to seal. Write a mini note. Fold the top flap to complete the envelope. Optional: add stickers or other decor to your envelope. Review! Happy Valentine’s crafting!

heart.

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I came across these heart shaped grapevine wreaths – so cute! I usually use grapevine wreaths in my felt workshops, so I wanted to see if I could decorate a wreath with non-felt supplies. I chose paper! For this project you will need: Heart shaped grapevine wreaths Scrapbook paper with fun designs that you can cut out Paper scissors Hot glue String I went through my scrapbook paper stash to see if I had any designs I could use. I decided on cutting out flowers. Cut as many designs as you want to fill the wreath and use hot glue to adhere. Careful! You can really feel the heat of the glue through the paper. I filled most of the wreath with paper flowers, and overlapped flowers in some areas. Then added a string for hanging. A super simple craft with a big impact! How cute would these be on each door of your home! What have you been crafting for Valentine’s? Share below.

joone.

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Joone is a craft kit company based in Chicago. I met founders Whitney and Lauren at Craftcation last year. I got my hands on their paper cutting kit – a craft I’ve been wanting to try, but didn’t know where to start. It made for a nice travel craft for my winter break because it came with everything I needed, including a tray to collect my paper scraps, all in a small box. The paper cutting kit comes with materials to create at least 2 bookmarks, 3 gift tags, and 1 4″x6″ art piece (you can probably use it as a post card, too!). There’s even a practice sheet to get used to cutting with an Xacto knife. The how-to guide has lots of tips for cutting with an Xacto knife – super helpful! Once you cut out your design you can add a colorful backing with Modge Podge. They include wax paper, too, to line your table / not get mod podge everywhere. I can’t say this is a craft I want to do …

bat mobile.

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A Halloween inspired pomtass chandelier! For this project you will need: 2″ ring 8″ hoop Nylon cord 10 paper straws cut into 28 -2 1/2 inch pieces Card stock (1 – 12×12 sheet is plenty) 1-2″ hole punch 1/4″ hole punch Yarn in orange, black, and white Pom pon / tassel tool Black felt Paper scissors Fabric scissors Tray Hot glue Googly eyes Binder clips Prep all the pieces: Cut 28 pieces of straw. Punch 20 card stock circles and punch a 1/4″ hole in the middle of each circle. Make 1 orange pompon for the pumpkin. Cut out a Jack-O-Lantern face; attach with hot glue. Make 4 white tassel ghosts. I opted out of a ghost face, but you can add googly eyes or a felt face with hot glue. Make 4 black pompons for bats. Cut four sets of felt bat wings. Sew on bat wings by attaching to the pompon’s tight center cord. Add googly eyes with hot glue. Cut 4 5-foot strands of cord. Assemble: Fold all cord strands in half. …

bookbinding.

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I received a freebie ticket to a Paper Source workshop (Thanks, Craftcation!) so I took a bookbinding class. There were only two of us in class ~ semi-private class for the win! We were quick to finish too, so our instructor shared some bonus fun things we could add to our notebooks. Paper Source provided all of the materials and tools, plus a handy “book sewing” guide. I chose different papers for my front and back covers, and copper sparkle cord to bind my project. The most time consuming part was punching the sheets of paper for the notebook. Someone create a five-hole punch with 1/8 inch holes, please! We used binder clips to hold the stack of paper together while we added bookbinding tape to the corners. Then we glued on the front and back fancy papers using a liquid glue. Next time, I’ll try using glue stick – maybe it’ll dry faster. Then, bookbinding! Using the sewing needles made the process easy. We finished our projects in under an hour, so our instructor …

the tissue issue.

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I recently refreshed my memory on how to make tissue paper flowers. It’s so easy and the results are so pretty I had to share! These would pair nicely with some piñata crafts, too. Here are a few: burro, piña, hearts. Materials: tissue paper, string or staples, scissors Layer 6-8 pieces of tissue paper. If starting with a large piece of tissue paper, fold into sixths or eighths. Cut all the folds. For larger-in-diameter flowers, use more layers of tissue paper. Accordion fold the stacked tissue paper. Snip two small triangles out from the middle. Secure with cord or staple. Cut the ends with your desired flower petal shape (e.g., curved, pointed). Gently separate the tissue layers and fluff. If you rip the tissue, no worries; just fluff a little more to hide the tears. Attach to a piñata with cord or hot glue, or secure to walls for a fun backdrop. Oh! These would make cute Christmas tree decorations, too. Try it out with different colors or sizes of tissue paper, or attach two …

confetti of love.

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My most favorite crafting holiday is just around the corner! So, it’s Valentine’s confetti time! For this project you will need: A cross-cut paper shredder Paper in shades of red, pink, and white – 65 lb paper works great! Assorted confetti Dried flowers Washi tape Containers or clear bags Scissors Large sheet of paper Prep all of the ingredients. For this mix I chose gold and neon pink hearts and gold hexagons. I also found ‘XOXO’ confetti at Target this year! (And these cute heart dishes!) Trim the dried flowers to remove the stems. Shred your paper. You don’t really need to ‘mix’ the confetti. Just make sure you evenly distribute/scatter the ingredients all over. I like to combine my confetti on a sheet of paper (versus a mixing bowl) for two reasons: (1) The heavier confetti bits tend to drop to the bottom and ‘stick’ to ceramic bowls – nothing sticks to the paper! and (2) It’s easier to pour the mixed confetti into containers by folding the paper in half and using it …

only treats.

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Hey, Boo. It’s treat bag time! Here are a couple of ways to dress up your treat bags for Halloween. Materials: Bags (found these at Target) Twine (also Target) Envelopes (found at a Japanese ‘dollar’ store) Card stock (I shop at Scrapbook Expo!) Food picks (found at Daiso) Washi tape (from my stash…) Create a tassel on the bag. Loop the twine at least six times, cut the loops, then place the cut loops around one of the bag handles. Cut another piece of twine and tie the cut loops together to form a tassel. Trim as needed. Style a Halloween note. For the Halloween note, I cut card stock to fit the envelopes. A simple “Boo!” seemed appropriate. Then, I decorated with pumpkin, cat, and ghost food picks and assorted washi tape. Fill with delights! I filled my treat bags with the note, confetti, and chocolates. Really, anything goes. Fill your treat bags with seasonal fruit – like baby apples! Or with some tricks – plastic spiders, anyone? Ready for gifting! Happy almost Halloween! …