Once you make the switch to a paperless office, you’re sure to have a lot of extra paper lying around. From reams of printer paper to unused notebooks, the extra paper may seem a little overwhelming at first. What’s a person to do with all that paper anyways? Don’t worry. We’ve got a list of some great paper-based crafts you can do to turn that useless paper into something fun and festive for the holidays.
Snowflakes
Paper snowflakes are a classic Christmas craft that most of us have been doing since grade school. The best part is, they never get old. There are so many different patterns available out there that, whether you’re a novice crafter or a pro with the scissors, you can find something that suits your skill level. Hang them anywhere in your office or home for a festive, wintery scene.
Wreath
You can also use that old paper to create a great indoor wreath, since obviously it wouldn’t quite hold up to the wind and snow outside. Choose a shape, such as snowflakes, stars, or leaves, and cut out several dozen from your stacks of paper. You can cut them from different colored sheets if you have them, or just let your wreath be snowy white. Cut out a ring shape from a piece of cardboard, and glue or staple your shapes onto it to make a lovely, simple wreath to hang inside.
Paperchains
Another Christmas classic, paperchains are usually used to count down the days to Christmas. Obviously, it’s hardly worth counting down the next 2 days, but paperchains have other uses too. Drape them around the room or wrap them around your Christmas tree. Whatever you do with them, it’s better than just letting that paper waste space in your office.
Christmas Village
Want a cute little Christmas village for your mantel, but don’t want to buy all the pieces? Then make your own out of paper! Simply draw and cut out house silhouettes from several sheets of paper. Draw 2 houses per sheet of paper and crease the paper slightly to give it added depth and to let the paper stand on its own. Create as many of these as you want, then stand them up on your mantel. You can even create some origami Christmas trees to set up around your little paper village. Light it all up with a row of Christmas lights for a fun and simple paper project.
Ornaments
There are countless patterns and ideas out there on the internet for making your own ornaments out of paper. Use strips of paper to create a festive sphere to hang on your tree. Cut out a Christmas star and adorn it with glitter, twine, and bells. Glue squares of paper together to create a sphere or cube ornament. All you have to do is perform a quick search online, then grab all that extra paper and a few craft supplies. What a festive way to give your old papers new life!
Paper Snow
Where we’re from, there’s plenty of snow to keep us more than happy. But if you’re from a warmer region—or you simply want to create an indoor winter wonderland—then you can use all that extra paper to make your own snow! Just shred or cut as much paper as you want into small, confetti-like pieces. Use it to decorate ledges and fill gift bags, or blow it around the yard to create some winter fun for your kids! Just make sure you don’t mind cleaning up the mess afterwards.
With Christmas just a few days away, now is the perfect time to do some fun holiday crafts with your kids. Whatever wintery craft you choose to use your paper for, it’s a far better use that letting it fill up filing cabinets and waste your time at the office. Need more paper for future crafts? Just fill out the contact form on this page. We’ll give you a free 15-minute demo of eFileCabinet so that you can actually have some fun with all that paper for a change.
Happy Holidays!