Budget-Friendly Paper Crafts

Kids home for the summer? Overabundance of glue in your cabinets? Maybe you’re just an art teacher at heart with a desire to flex your creative skill and decorate your house on the cheap? We love to save here at Kasasa, so no matter your reason, here are some fun, easy and, more importantly, inexpensive crafts you can whip up. These projects will hopefully repurpose items already in your house, though you may need to purchase a couple supplies.

Make a piñata

Need: tissue or crepe paper, glue, and a thin-walled box, like a cereal carton. (If you want to get fancy with the shape, you can create something with paper mache.)

What to do: Cut your paper into strips a couple inches wide, then fringe them (like you see in the picture to the left). Glue the strips around your box, covering it completely. Our work-in-progress at the right is really just a piñata-esque box that we don't plan to smash to bits, but it will give you an idea of how to place the paper. Be sure to leave a flap unglued so you can easily fill the piñata with candy or toys before sealing it up!

Make a paper book wreath

Need: a book, scissors, hot glue, a foam or cardboard wreath

Have a book lying around that you read but didn’t like? Here’s a way to turn it into a piece of art. If you’re a fan of all the books you own, take a trip to the used bookstore and pick up a 50-cent used paperback. We won’t write out the steps here since they’re done so well, and with pictures, on the LivingwithLindsay blog, so check that out for instructions. (Image is also from LivingwithLindsay.)

Turn toilet paper rolls into wall art

It's hard to believe this is made from cardboard! Check out this fun project at SimplyRealMoms, which is where the picture is from also.

What are some other fun yet cheap craft ideas you have? We’d love to hear them! Add your suggestion as a comment (along with a link to steps, if needed) and we'll update the post with it.

Craft a Paper Flower Arrangement

One of the easiest ways to get into origami is to learn to fold flowers. Then, once you have an abundance of paper flowers you can attach them to green pipe cleaners or wire and create a flower arrangement that will never get old and die. If you miss the scent, consider spraying the paper with a bit of perfume!

Make a Paper Light Shade

Some paper crafts will look homemade, but if you have some talent, crafting a paper light shade can really class up an otherwise boring light. Take a piece of nice piece of paper and lightly sketch out your design. Pick a design that will really only have two colors, light and dark. For the light areas, you are going to use a box cutter to cut out the paper. For the dark areas, you can use a marker or non-transparent tape. If you want to go even further, experiment with using different materials to create different shades.

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