3 Winter Holiday Crafts to Make Using Shredded Paper

At EnviroShred NW, we are inspired by so many paper crafts we see that support re-use and paper recycling. That said, what better time to share our 3 favorite creative re-uses of shredded paper just in time for the holidays?

1. Snowflake Ornament

Did you know the craft technique of rolling paper strips into detailed art pieces and designs is called quilling? You can use a quilling needle to curl strips of paper into amazing things such as this snowflake ornament.

You’ll Need:

• Already-shredded paper (or cut paper you need to re-use or recycle into 8 strips, about 3/8 inch wide and 4 ½ inches long)
  
• A round toothpick (or for advanced artists, a quilling needle)
  
• Clear-drying craft glue
  
• Strong thread (try metallic for an extra festive look)
  

Here’s how to make this fancy snowflake paper ornament in 2 easy steps:

1. Fold each strip of quilling paper so that one of the halves is about ½ inch longer than the other, and curl the ends. Repeat with the remaining seven strips.
   
2. On a flat surface, fit pieces together with their points in the center. Using tiny dabs of glue, attach pieces together in pairs, and then join the four pairs. Let the glue dry, and attach your piece of thread to hang ornament.
   

Pat yourself on the back for mastering quilling so effortlessly while repurposing paper! Full tutorial found here.

2. Paper Snowman

You’ll Need:

• Shredded paper, right from your electronic paper shredder or pre-cut paper (about 1-2 inches long and ½ inch wide)
  
• 1 sheet of colored paper (for the backdrop)
  
• A pencil
  
• Craft glue
  
• A small paint brush – (optional for help gluing)
  
• Craft googly eyes, and small black pom poms, or any other materials to decorate with such as black paper for a snowman hat and arms
  

How to make it in 3 Steps:

1. Use your pencil to draw 3 large circles stacked like a snowman on your paper
   
2. Add glue to each circle, one at a time, and then your shredded paper pieces to each circle before the glue dries. If your shreddings are small, stack and scrunch them as needed to fill up each circle and push down hard so they stay. (Shake off any excess paper)
   
3. Glue on your snowman accessories and outfit with any other paper and materials you have including the googly eyes, and you’re all done!
   

Tutorial found here.

3. Paper Christmas Tree

You’ll Need:

• Approximately 50 paper strips – you can use any paper scraps, shredded paper or paper newspaper comics (make them about 1” wide and 3” long) 
  
• Craft Glue or Glue Dots 
  
• Pen or Pencil (for rolling paper strips on for the curl)
  
• 1 full piece of paper
  

How to make the paper tree in 3 Steps:

1. Roll your piece of paper (try using green of you have it around) into a cone shape and glue it into place.
   
2. Take your paper strips, and roll them around a pencil or pen to get a curl at the ends
   
3. Once your paper strips are curled, start at the bottom of the paper cone you made and add them as rows around the base. Keep stacking the rows of paper strips until they are gone and filled the entire tree.
   

More photos and tutorial from: Joyslife.com

For another paper shredded craft idea for office parties or at home, see our blog post here. We hope everyone has a great holiday!