Easy Handmande Holiday Paper Chains

It seems like a handmade holiday is trending right now and honestly I am here for it! I first made a paper chain for our home during the holidays 2 years ago and loved it so much it’s stayed up in our house every since. 

I love opting for slightly less traditional colors and adding ribbons/bows to jazz it up! 

This year, I wanted to go all out with the decorations at the shop and 100% spent way too much time that I really don’t have on making probably close to 70+ ft of paper chains in varying color combinations. 

An Easy Colorful Handmade Christmas

Please pause a moment to take it all in - she’s a beaut!While I certainly did not invent making paper chains, I have learned quite a bit in the past 2 years and wanted to share some fun tips and tricks with y’all! 

Supplies and Materials for Paper Chains

To start, here are some supplies you will need: construction paper (about 60lb weight seems to be the right weight, any heavier and the chain will be really heavy plus the paper not as malleable to round out), a good stapler (and staples!), a paper cutter and optional, a good tv show to have on in the background. 

Next decide what kind of paper chain you want - the thicker the pieces of paper will give you the “chunky” effect of the chain, thinner but shorter pieces will give you a mini version of the “chunky” chain, and longer pieces will give you the traditional appearance of a paper chain. You can also decide on the color palette as well as combination of colors. 

Color Palettes and Patterns For A Paper Chain

My advice is to make several different types of paper chains for texture and layers in your decor. I also think sticking to 3-5 colors that can be used in different combinations looks the best. 

Some color patterns for your chain include: 

If you are using 3 colors - 1 (is color one), 2 (is color two), 3 (is color three)

1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3…. 

1, 1, 1 ,1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1….

For a thicker chain, you are going to want to wrap each piece of the chain around each other tightly. And just keep going, at first it won't look like much but as the chain gets longer you'll get the effect!

Other Tips and Tricks

Some other tips with hanging is using 3M hooks as well as ribbon to loop through and hang your finished chains. Since the paper is fragile and will tear, I find that hanging with ribbon enables you to loop through the chain loop and evenly distribute the weight of the chain. You can then use the same ribbon and add some texture by tying pieces to embellish your chain (this can also help hide and distract from the 3M hook!) 

Paper chains can be hung from the ceiling, on the walls, and even on your tree!Happy paper chain making friends!