Want a last-minute holiday decoration that you can do yourself? Try making some paper chains and using them as decorations!
If you’re looking around your home, wondering what your holiday decor is missing, why not take a page from Christmases past? If you’re a young millennial like me or older, you may remember making paper chains as decorations in primary school. The method is straightforward enough that even young kids can do it. So whether you’re someone looking to save money on holiday decorations or a parent hoping to find an activity for the whole family, give this simple DIY project a shot.
How to Make Paper Chains as Decorations
Tiktoker Emily Welch (@emilywelchstyle) demonstrates just how easy these paper chains are to make. In her video, she takes sheets of colorful paper and cuts them into strips. To add visual interest to her chains, she uses papers of different colors and patterns. Her chains include plain brown paper, festive plaid designs, and other Christmasy patterns. Once she’s assembled her strips, she begins to tape them into loops.
Her first loop stands alone, but for each subsequent link in her chain, she begins by pulling the new strip into the previous link. Once her paper chains are long enough, she uses them as decorations. She puts some over the mantle, while others serve as garlands across her windows.
@emilywelchstyle Start making those paper chains now 🫶🏻 #christmascrafts #christmasdecor #cozylittlechristmas #nostalgicchristmas #90schristmas
Ways to Personalize Your Chains
If you love the idea of making your own decorations but don’t want to limit them to Christmas, fear not. You can easily personalize these chains so they work for any season or holiday. Consider using the colors of whatever season or holiday you want to use them for.
If you want Halloween paper chains, swap out the reds and greens for oranges, blacks, and purples. For Thanksgiving, keep the brown and red paper but add in yellow strips as well. If you happen to have access to any kind of metallic paper, these are a great way to add some extra oomph to your chains. To make some for the spring, you might want to think about your favorite pastel shades and start building your chain around those colors.
Don’t think you’re limited to using plain paper either. Welch uses all kinds of patterned papers to get as much holiday cheer as possible into her chains, and you can do the same.
You can also make your chains in multiple sizes. From there, you can either layer them together as one giant paper garland, or you could go for some extra visual interest and weave the thinner chains through the larger ones. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. All you’re limited by is your own imagination.
