Halloween Paper Chain Garland
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A few weeks ago, I popped into a cute little shop to kill some time. It was a rare moment when I had finished errands ahead of schedule and had a bit of free time before my next appointment. I only had about 15 minutes, but I managed to find a few little trinkets, so I made my way to the checkout to settle up when I noticed something hanging over my head – St. Valentine’s paper garland.
The sight instantly took me back to my childhood. Back then, my sisters and I would cut, glue, and fashion wrapping paper scraps into colorful Christmas chain garland for the tree.
Why had I not thought of adding Halloween paper chain garland to my haunted decor? I have no idea, but I decided that I needed to remedy that immediately. However – I wasn’t going to settle for some small, wimpy loop chain. Nope. I need a “go big or go home” chain that would maximize a full 12×12 sheet of scrapbook paper, cut and assemble quickly, and make a big impact.
Want to see what I came up with? I thought you’d never ask.
Let’s get started.
Halloween Paper Chain - Double-Sided
First, gather your paper. I’m making two examples today. For this one, I selected several different 12×12 Halloween scrapbook papers.
We will also need some metal brads and the free SVG cut file template, which you can find in the Haunted Library.
Begin by cutting the cardstock using the SVG template.
If your cardstock is double-sided or you don’t care that the back of your paper chain is white, then no glue is required for this project.
I didn’t want the white background, so I grabbed my glue stick and my Cricut scraper, glued two strips together, and burnished with my scraper to form one double-sided strip.
I distressed the white edges of my strips with an alcohol ink marker. This step is optional, but I really like the look it gives to the chain.
Next, I curled the paper, lined up the holes, and attached the ends with a metal brad.
Now repeat until your chain is the length you desire. Easy peasy!
Halloween Paper Chain - Solid Core
For the second version, I used solid core 12×12 cardstock. I dug through my stash and found some white, paper hole reinforcement labels and some simple Happy Halloween ribbon, so I decided to do a bit of embellishing.
To begin, cut the strips.
As I only had white paper hole labels, I decided to color them with colored pencils to match the paper. I then added them to the strips.
For more interest, I cut lengths of ribbons and glued them to the strips.
Finally, I curled the paper and attached the ends with a metal brad.
So simple it’s scary.
No glue or scissors required – unless you’re like me and you have to be a bit extra.
One quick note – I made two versions of the SVG. One has the holes, and one does not, so you have options should you prefer to glue or staple the ends or tie with a ribbon to make this project come together even quicker.
If you don’t have a cutting machine, you can replicate these by cutting your strips approximately 1 5/8″ wide by the entire length of your paper and using a punch or awl to make the hole.
I can’t wait to string up this Halloween paper chain garland this year. I think I will make another one to coordinate with our Skull Banner.
Oh, and yes – it is February and I still have pumpkins hanging around. Doesn’t everybody?
