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Paper Crafts to Do When You’re Bored
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items Bored, tired of scrolling, and suddenly willing to see what you can make out of paper? 😂 This is a mix of easy paper crafts, beginner kits, useful tools and a few free tutorials for when you want something to DO with your hands. Origami, quilling, p...
Sections
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Start Here: Easy Paper Crafts
Try a New Paper-Craft Rabbit Hole
The Tools That Make Paper Crafts More Fun
Start Here: Easy Paper Crafts
These are the low-pressure options for when you want to make something without turning the dining room into a full craft studio.
I reviewed this one, and it is SUCH a fun twist on paper folding. You get 100 little folding puzzles, so it works especially well when you are bored but do not necessarily want to start a giant craft project.
FOLDOLOGY Origami Puzzle Game - 100 Puzzles
This gives you the paper AND the instructions, which is exactly what I want when boredom hits. No hunting around the house trying to figure out what size square you were supposed to cut first. 😂
Origami Extravaganza! Folding Paper, a Book, and a Box - by Tuttle Studio (Mixed Media Product)
Forty-five sheets plus flower instructions gives you plenty to play with. I like this as a next step when you want something prettier than folding the same crane for the 14th time.
Origami Flower, Origami Papers, Origami Set, Origami Art Kit, Origami Instructions, Origami Flowers
Collage is basically permission to cut things up and see what happens. 😂 This little kit gives you the interesting paper bits without requiring you to save six months of magazines first.
COLLAGE KIT 5X7 DIY Paper Ephemera Junk Journal Mixed Media Art Pack
If you like the idea of paper crafts but want something you can keep coming back to, junk journaling is a VERY good rabbit hole. This gives you a journal plus a big pile of papers, stickers and ephemera to get started.
Junk Journal Complete Kit | Ephemera Pack | Vintage Collage | Scrapbooking | Journal Grab Pack
Try a New Paper-Craft Rabbit Hole
A little more involved, but still beginner-friendly. These are for the afternoon when “I’m bored” turns into “apparently I make paper flowers now.” 😂
Quilling looks wildly complicated until you realize you are basically rolling and shaping strips of paper. This kit includes the tools, strips and guided projects, so you are not trying to reverse-engineer it from a Pinterest photo.
MY CREATIVE CAMP Beginner's Quilling Kit - DIY Craft Kit for Kids and Adults
This one gives you an actual finished project to work toward, which I like when you are learning something new. And the cherry blossoms are cute enough that you might actually want to frame the thing when you are done.
Cherry Blossom Paper Quilling Craft Kit - Teens & Adults, Beginner DIY Floral Framed Art (8” x10”), Crimper Tool,Instructions,Décor Gift
For the person who has looked at those gorgeous paper flowers online and thought, HOW are they doing that? 😂 These are the shaping tools that help turn flat paper into petals that actually look like petals.
Mini Paper Flower Starter Kit 2 | Metal Ball Stylus | Paper Flower Tools | Slotted Quilling tool | Craft Tools | Flower Shaping Mat
A sunflower feels like a very satisfying first paper-flower project because you end up with something substantial at the end. This kit also comes with a video tutorial, which beats staring at a diagram wondering which flap is flap B.
DIY KIT - Crepe Paper SunFlower's Kit with video Tutorial
If you want to go straight to the pretty stuff, make a peony. 😂 The kit includes the paper, floral supplies and step-by-step directions, so you can focus on making the flower instead of sourcing seventeen tiny things first.
DIY Paper Peony Craft Kit: Beginner Crepe Paper Flower Kit – Make Your Own Bouquet with Templates & Supplies – DIY Wedding and Home Decor
Making your own little hardcover book is a VERY good answer to “what can I make with paper?” This one walks beginners through two books and includes reusable tools, so the hobby can keep going if you get hooked.
Introduction to Bookbinding Kit - Create Two Handmade A6 Books
Paper marbling is one of those crafts where the PROCESS is half the fun. You float the colors, make the patterns and suddenly plain paper looks like something you found in a fancy stationery shop.
Dodin's Paper Marbling Kit 6C with Supplies, Tools, Samples and Guide (60 pcs)
The Tools That Make Paper Crafts More Fun
You can absolutely start with scissors and glue. But if paper crafting becomes A Thing, these are the tools that make cutting, folding and gluing much less annoying.
This is a very sensible starter tool set: cutting mat, trimmer, scissors, hobby knife and a few extras all together. Much easier than discovering mid-project that your kitchen scissors are absolutely not up to the job.
WESTCOTT Paper Craft Kit 9 Piece
Once you start needing straight cuts over and over, a paper trimmer stops feeling excessive VERY quickly. 😂 This is the kind of tool that makes cards, scrapbook paper and folded projects so much less fiddly.
Fiskars SureCut Deluxe Paper Trimmer-12", Clear
One regular pair and one micro-tip pair means you can handle the big cuts and the tiny annoying ones. Paper crafts have a surprising number of tiny annoying ones.
Fiskars Crafting Scissors 2-Piece Set: 8-inch and 5-inch Microtip Scissors
A bone folder sounds like a tool only a serious crafter would own until you use one for a crisp fold. Then folding cardstock with your thumbnail starts to feel ridiculous. 😂
Arteza Bone Folder Tool Set [Pack of 4] Scoring Tools for Origami Paper Crafts, Book Binding, Card Making & Folding Paper
For decoupage, collage and anything involving paper stuck to another thing, Mod Podge earns its spot. Glue it, smooth it, seal it and move on to the fun part.
Mod Podge Paper Sealer, Glue, and Finish for Decoupage Projects, Gloss Finish, 16 fl oz, 1 Piece
The classic. One square of paper, clear photos and something you can make right now without ordering a single thing.
How to Make a Paper Crane
A simple accordion-flower tutorial with step-by-step pictures and basic supplies. This is a good “I have paper, scissors and glue, now entertain me” project.
How to make paper flowers step by step with pictures - Red Ted Art - Kids Crafts
If you want to try quilling before buying a whole kit, start here. It shows you how the little coils turn into an actual flower instead of just...a pile of tiny paper spirals. 😂
Flower Quilled Pencil Toppers - Red Ted Art - Kids Crafts