6 Colorful and Affordable Paper Crafts to Spread Holiday Cheer

Twin Cities-based jewelry designer Larissa Loden decks the halls of her fully renovated 1980s home with colorful paper crafts. We took a page out of the former art teacher's book and created these six paper Christmas crafts in her signature geometric style.

Paper Starburst Wreath

The starbursts on this cardboard wreath are made from colored and metallic card stock using just scissors, a ruler and glue. We suggest making a trial star with a sheet of scrap paper, so you understand the method and get a feel for how big the stars are relative to the paper you start with—once you do one, you'll be able to make dozens in no time!

Materials

• Large cardboard boxes or 24x36-inch sheets of cardboard
• Assorted colored card stock paper, 12x12-inch or 8.5x11-inch
• Metallic card stock paper, 8.5x11-inch
• Gold paint spray ( or craft paint and a brush)
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Heavy cotton twine
• Hot glue gun
• X-Acto knife
• Cutting mat
• Tacky glue

How-To

Oval Wreath Form

1. To make an oval cardboard wreath form, measure and cut two rectangles that will fit your space. Use a circular object (such as a plate or bowl) to mark rounded corners on the rectangles; trace with pencil and cut.
2. To cut out the center: Starting with one rectangle, work your way around the perimeter with a ruler, marking a dot 3 inches in from the edge (or 4 inches, for a larger wreath form), so that you create a dotted line marking a center oval. Connect these dots with the pencil, then cut and remove the inside area. Repeat with the second rectangle (but this time, you can use the interior piece you just removed as a template).
3. Hot glue the two oval rings together (to make a sturdier form). Let dry.
4. Paint the form gold using spray or craft paint.
5. Wrap twine around the form. Create a small loop and knot securely to create a hanging loop for the wreath.

Starbursts

6. To make the starbursts, fold a sheet of card stock in half the long way (if it's a rectangle) or in half (if it's a square).
7. Mark a line along the length of the folded paper, 1 inch in from the open edge. Fold, then open this crease to flat again.
8. Make marks every ¼ inch or ½ inch along this line, then draw lines at each mark straight to the folded edge, marking even strips down the whole length of the folded paper. (Either size strip will work, but all strips should be the same width.) Cut on these lines from the folded edge to the original marked line, cutting through both layers of paper.
9. Open the paper slightly and bring the bottom uncut 1-inch border around and over the top one, so that they overlap. Secure with glue. (You should now have a long, teardrop-shape cylinder.)
10. Bring the two ends of the cylinder together, forming a circle out of the 1-inch section. (You'll see the starburst form as you bring the ends together.) Secure ends with a dab of hot glue.
11. Cut a circle larger than the center and glue to the back of the starburst. Let dry.
12. Repeat steps 6 to 12 to create multiple stars, laying them out as you go. Vary the color and experiment with starting with a smaller square or rectangle of paper, or varying the width of the strips you cut. (To create a double starburst, repeat steps 5 to 12 using two slightly different sizes of starbursts. Glue their centers together to secure.
13. Once you have enough stars to cover the wreath form, secure them with hot glue. Hang and enjoy!

Cardboard Trees

A fun way to upcycle shipping boxes, these painted cardboard pines slot together in a snap. Line them up on a mantel or tuck a few on a bar cart among cotton snow or greenery.

Materials

• Cardboard boxes
• Template
• Pencil
• Ruler (optional)
• X-Acto knife or utility knife
• Cutting mat
• Craft paints
• Paintbrushes

How To

1. Remove tape or labels from boxes.
2. Using the template, trace two trees onto cardboard.
3. Cut trees out with an X-Acto knife. If desired, use a ruler for straighter edges. Using the template as a reference, cut a slit on each tree (one from the bottom to the middle, the other from the top to the middle). Slot the trees together as a test; depending on the thickness of the cardboard, you may need to cut the slit a bit wider for the two trees to slot neatly.
4. Paint both sides of the trees. (If you like, use contrasting colors or two shades of the same color, with one color on one tree and the second color on the other.) Let dry and recoat as needed.
5. Assemble by sliding the two parts together. Repeat to make a winter forest.

Paper Lanterns

Colorful paper lanterns with LED pillars inside emit a warm and festive holiday glow.

Materials

• 12x12-inch colored scrapbook paper, 60- to 65-pound weight
• Metallic poster board or card stock paper
• Ruler
• Pencil
• X-Acto knife
• Cutting mat
• Permanent glue stick
• Double-sided craft tape
• LED pillar candles

How-To

1. Determine your lantern's height and circumference. The paper lantern should be large enough to freely slip over the LED candle; leaving space allows for the glow to reflect on the metallic paper inside.
2. Cut one set of colored paper and one piece of metallic paper to desired height and width.
3. Glue the nonshiny side of the metallic sheet to the colored sheet, smoothing as you go. Let dry.
4. Use a pencil to hand-draw geometric designs on colored sides of papers. (We used half-circles and triangles.)
5. Cut out each design with an X-Acto knife, leaving one straight side uncut, then fold the cut designs outward along the uncut line to expose the gold paper.
6. Fold designs flat, then add double-sided tape to one edge of the colored sheet. Form a cylinder and secure it with the taped edge.
7. Place the cylinder over the LED candle.

3D Cardboard Ornaments

Even young kids can slot painted cardboard shapes in endless combos to make ornaments.

Materials

• Cardboard boxes
• Pencil
• X-Acto knife
• Cutting mat
• Assorted craft paint
• Paintbrushes
• Gold string
• Embroidery needle

How-To

1. Remove tape and labels from boxes.
2. Use a pencil to draw geometric shapes on the boxes, such as circles, semicircles, U-shapes, squares, rectangles or equilateral triangles. Shapes should be 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Cut out shapes with an X-Acto knife. (Hint: Symmetrical shapes that are roughly the same size as one another work best. Cut out a few shapes, then use those as templates for drawing and cutting more.)
3. Paint each side of the shapes, using two different colors if desired. Let dry and recoat as needed.
4. Pair up two or three shapes to make ornaments. Cut a small slit about 1 inch on one piece, wide enough to slot cardboard pieces together.
5. Use an embroidery needle to poke a hole through each ornament. String with thread, tie and hang.

Circle Gift Toppers

These card stock circles, simply glued and folded, make for playful gift tags.

Materials

• Assorted double-sided scrapbook paper, 12x12-inch
• Pencil
• Metallic card stock, 12x12-inch
• 3-inch and 2-inch circle template (see How-To)
• Scissors
• X-Acto knife
• Glue stick
• Embroidery needle
• Gold string

How-To

1. Trace a 3-inch circle on double-sided scrapbook paper by tracing a glass or small bowl or using a paper punch. Repeat with metallic card stock; cut out.
2. Trace a 2-inch circle from paper or card stock. (This is a template, so the color doesn't matter.) Fold in half to create a semicircle.
3. Place the template on the 3-inch circle of double-sided scrapbook paper so that if unfolded, the small circle would be centered on the large one. Use X-Acto knife to cut along the round line of the semicircle (but not the straight line). Remove template; fold the flap out to make a semicircular "window." Glue the metallic card stock circle on the back side, to reveal gold through the "window."
4. Use an embroidery needle to poke a hole through the top of the circle. Add thread and knot.

Color-Block Fan Ornament

Color blocking gives traditional paper fans a modern twist for the Christmas tree.

Materials

• Assorted colored scrapbook paper, 60- to 65-pound weight
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Embroidery needle
• Gold metallic thread

How-To

1. Measure and cut three 5x5-inch squares from scrapbook paper—two of one color, one of another.
2. Fold squares in half vertically and horizontally, open and flatten.
3. Accordion fold ⅝ inch.
4. Fold in half to form a fan shape.
5. Repeat for the additional two squares.
6. Glue three fan pieces together, one at a time, with the contrasting color in between the other two, and hold for a few seconds until secure. Let dry.
7. Using an embroidery needle, poke a hole through the top near folds. Thread, knot and hang.