There has been a move back to nostalgic, traditional homemade Christmas decorations this year and I am all for it. Not only are home made decorations often made from paper and are therefore completely sustainable, it avoids the pressure of trend overconsumption and having to spend money to ‘get the look.’

Paper chains and paper baubles are cheap, easy and fun to make. You can often use what you have laying around the house to make your own without having to buy anything: wallpaper scraps, postcards and wrapping paper will all work when creating decorations from paper.

As a huge fan of paper craft decor, I thought I would do a round up of 5 of my favourite paper craft DIYs tutorials for Christmas. Simply click through the links below to obtain an easy step-by-step guide to making each one.

How To Make Paper Angels

Paper angels are full of charm and they are so easy to make. All you’ll need is:

Two 15cm x 15 cm pieces of paper card
Crafters Companion double-sided craft tape
String or thread
Glue
20mm Wood beads
Mini pre-made bows
Scissors

For a full guide to making paper angels, click here.

How To Make Paper Bell Baubles To Hang On Your Christmas Tree

These paper bells are so stylish! All you’ll need to make them are:

Thread (I picked out some thread in gold)
Some relatively thick paper or thin card
Craft bells
Pencil
Scissors
Crafter’s companion tape machine (or good quality glue stick)
Mini craft bows

I have also created a free PDF bell template that you can download to get started!

For a full set-by-step guide on making these bells, click here.

The Easiest DIY paper bauble! Make loads in minutes!

If you want to fill your tree with your own home made decorations, or you want to get the kids crafting quickly and easily, then these 3 inch paper bell baubles are super easy! All you need is:

3 inch craft punch
small decorative beads or buttons
glue stick
ribbon
thread

The craft punch is an investment at £20, but once you have it you can make as many paper baubles as you like.

For this craft, I tend to prefer using wallpaper which is the perfect thickness. Punch out at least 10-12 cycles and fold all of them in half. Glue one side and attach it to the next to form a bauble. Once you have attached around 6 pieces together, glue a loop of ribbon down the spine so that you can hang your bauble. You can also thread a bead and glue the thread at the base of the spine so that your bauble has a bead underneath. With your final folded piece, secure everything together.

For extra information on creating this simple paper bauble, click here!

Simple paper star garland

Create this garland to drape across shelving or along a fireplace mantel. All you need is:

Paper: wrapping paper or leftover wallpaper works well
A ruler and scissors, or a craft guillotine
Glue tape
Thin ribbon (2-3mm) or twine

For a full guide on making this garland, click here.

Nordic paper tree decorations

I really love these paper trees as they have a really Scandi design. I top them with a beaded gold star that adds that extra touch. To make them, you will need:

Thick paper or thin card, up to 180 msg
Scissors
Pencil
Crafter’s companion tape pen or a glue stick
Thread (I chose a gold thread)
Gold star beads from Hobbycraft (these are the best size available for this craft at 10 mm in size)

Follow my simple tutorial to making them by clicking here.