Ideas for Reusing Paper & Cardboard

Create fancy handmade paper from your old paper scraps.

Instead of throwing out those old cardboard boxes and papers, turn them into works of art to display around your home. Reusing paper not only keeps it out of the landfill, it also provides you with a free, yet versatile, craft material for making both functional and decorative items.

Paper Mache

Paper mache is much more than a method to make pinatas. You can also make bowls, vases, masks and decorative sculptures with this medium. Tear thin paper, such as tissue paper or newspaper, into strips. Combine one part flour with two parts water to make the paste, then soak the strips in the paste and mold them to your form. Cover the form with two or three layers of strips, allow it to harden, then decorate with colored tissue paper or paint. Make forms from balloons, chicken wire or pieces of cardboard taped together to make the desired shape. Items made with paper mache are not waterproof, so use them for decoration only. For example, use artificial flowers inside paper mache vases.

Decoupage

Use interesting pictures from magazines and newspapers to cover boxes, picture frames and other items. If you do not have anything to decorate, create a picture frame from a thick cardboard box. You can also make small boxes to use as office storage or for as decorative containers by taping cardboard sheets together. Glue pictures to the box or other item with decoupage glue, overlapping the pictures so the item is completely covered. Coat the entire piece with two or three more coats of the decoupage glue, which provides a water-resistant finish.

Magazine Storage

Recycle empty cereal boxes and other narrow boxes for magazine storage. Tape the top flaps of the box closed. Measure down 3 inches from the top of the box on one side and up 3 inches from the bottom of the box on the opposite side. Draw a diagonal line between these two points. Cut the box in half along this line using a craft knife, creating two halves that can each store several issues of your favorite magazine. Decorate the outside of the boxes with scraps of paper using decoupage glue. Old sheet music is an especially attractive choice for decorating the boxes.

Homemade Paper

Any non-glossy scrap paper, including pieces of cardboard, works well for making your own homemade paper. Use the paper in crafts such as card making or scrapbooking. To make paper, you must first create a slurry. Tear the paper and cardboard into small pieces and place them in a plastic tub. Add enough hot water to cover 1 to 2 inches over the paper. Soak the paper overnight so it turns into pulp. Run the paper and water through a blender the next day to pulp. Properly blended pulp has the consistency of oatmeal or cottage cheese. Staple a piece of window screening to an empty picture frame. Submerge the screen in the pulp and lift it up, allowing the excess water to drain out. Flip the frame upside down on a towel and soak up all the excess water from the back of the paper with a sponge until the paper sheet sticks to the towel. Remove the screen and allow the paper to dry overnight before you use it.

References

• Cornell University Extension: Decoupage
• "The Complete Tightwad Gazette"; Amy Dacyzyn; 1998
• Exploratorium: Handmade Paper

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish