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Make a Paper Chain from Recycled Art

January 15, 2013 by Barbara Rucci Leave a Comment

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Do you have a collection of discarded paintings and drawings somewhere that you are wondering what to do with? I often cut them up to make collage material, but another fun thing to make with all that old art is to recycle them into a paper chain!

Child using a stapler to connect painted paper strips into a colorful, homemade paper chain.

You can also just set out some sheets of paper with liquid watercolor and paint lots and lots of paintings, and then cut them up. Whether you make new art for your paper chain or use old art, the steps are the same and can be made by all ages.

Cutting painted paper into strips to make a paper chain.

How to make a paper chain:

1. Cut your paper into strips. They can really be any length or width, depending on what style you want. You can cut shorter, wider strips for a chunkier chain, or thinner, longer strips for a more delicate chain. Here I cut 9 x 12-inch paper into 9 x 1.5-inch strips.

Stapling strips of painted into loops to make a long, colorful, recycled paper chain.

2. Make your first loop and staple it together. Thread the next strip through the loop and staple that together. Continue for however many paper strips you have!

A child is holding a long, colorful paper chain made with recycled painted papers.

Notes on the making of this paper chain:

– This paper was a thicker cardstock, so staples were needed. However, if you have thinner paper, you could use a glue stick to adhere the loops together.

– We used liquid watercolor that I left out for a few days, so my kids all used a similar palette, which made it fun to put them into a “rainbow” color order. It’s more of an “ombre,” which I love.

A colorful paper chain hangs over a playroom door, made from recycled painted papers.

Paper chains are just so fun and easy to make… from any paper! You can read about some more paper chain ideas here.

Have fun! xo Bar

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Did you like this post? Here are some more paper chains to make:

Star-Punched Paper Chain
Hearts Paper Chain

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: paper chain, recycled art

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All content on this blog is copyright and owned by Art Bar Blog unless otherise stated. I would be flattered if you wanted to use an image from one of my posts! But please, ask me first. I would also ask that if it involves DIY instructions with a list of supplies that you don't repost any of that stuff because then nobody would have a reason to click back to my original post!

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There are two things that I'm passionate about: Children + Art. As an art teacher, author, graphic designer, and mom to 3 creative thinkers, I get to explore my passions every day! Learn more...

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