A Simple Paper Bauble DIY (using William Morris wallpaper samples!)
THE FARMHOUSE
Last year I saw Alice make these paper baubles on Instagram and I had to give them a try! We were having a homespun kind of Christmas and I wasn’t about to let a good DIY craft like this go untried. Especially when I had so many William Morris print wallpaper samples on hand! Turns out these baubles are really easy and fun to make. So today I’m sharing the simple DIY!
These baubles could be made out of any type of paper - heavy craft paper, wrapping paper, magazine covers - but I opted to use my giant stack of William Morris wallpaper samples. The heavy weight of the wallpaper works great for these and I love seeing the patterns! Plus it’s always great to recycle and make something beautiful out of garbage.
This is definitely a project young kids would enjoy! Last year I made these by myself, but I’m already planning to make more with my kiddos. They may or may not appreciate William Morris prints…we’ll see.
Making Paper baubles
Time: 30 minutes
Level: easy
Materials
6 strips of wallpaper, about 1/2” wide by 8” long
floral wire
ribbon
sharp scissors
wire cutter
needle
Step 1 // Poke a hole at the center of each of the paper strips. You want the holes to be in the same spot for each strip, so I measured the first strip and then used that as a template for the others. Next you add holes to each end of the paper strip, about 1/4” from the ends. So you’ll have three holes in each strip, one at the center, and one at each end.
Step 2 // Cut a piece of metal floral wire about 6” long. Slide the center of all 6 strips of paper onto one side of the wire until 1” of wire remains. The good side of the paper should face the short end of the wire.
Step 3 // Wrap the bottom end of the wire into a loop and twist it around itself to secure it (cut any excess). This doesn’t need to be exact, you just don’t want the paper to slip off. This is what my loops looked like:
Step 4 // Now we get to make the bauble! Take the bottom strip of paper and curve the end up to the top of the metal wire and poke the wire through the hole you made at that end. Do the same for the other side of the bottom strip of paper. Repeat with each strip of paper, working clockwise and always adding both sides of the strip before moving on to the next piece of paper.
Step 5 // Once all six slips of paper are attached, loop the top of the metal wire into and wrap it around itself to attach the top. Cut off the excess wire.
Step 6 // Cut some ribbon or twine, about 10” long and run it through the top loop of the wire to create a hanger.
And viola! William Morris print paper baubles…
Aren’t they fun?!
Happy crafting!
