Creepy chic crafts start with newspaper

What’s black and white and orange all over? Creative Halloween decorations made out of newspaper.

Black and white newsprint is a perfect starting point for spooky crafts.

A lightweight foam wreath form covered with newspaper roses looks elegant on its own, but can be dressed up with mini faux pumpkins, glittery berries, a swarm of spiders or bats, or any other embellishments. Making the flowers is inexpensive and fairly uncomplicated, but it’s not a quick process, particularly if you’re covering a large wreath. So find a good scary movie and settle in for a lot of cutting, rolling and gluing.

Pairing newspaper with black and orange cardstock to make a decorative garland, on the other hand, is both easy and fast. Just use a paper punch to cut the paper into circles, and run them through the sewing machine to chain them together.

Wreath

Materials:

Foam wreath form

Newspaper

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Scissors

Mini pumpkins or other embellishments

Instructions:

1. Cut several sheets of newspaper into 1 1/2 inch strips. Wrap them around the wreath form, overlapping each strip slightly, until it is covered. This will make it less obvious if there are gaps between the paper flowers.

2. Stack three sheets of newspaper and trace a small salad plate or similarly-sized round object on the top layer. Cut circles out of all three layers.

3. Hold three paper circles together in a stack. Starting at the outside edge, cut through all layers in a spiral shape, moving from the outside toward the center. Try to keep the width of the resulting spiral-shaped strip consistent – mine were about 3/4 of an inch – but it doesn’t have to be perfect.

4. When you get close to the center, make the end of the spiral a quarter-sized circle. This will become the base of the flower.

5. Starting from the outer edge of the spiral, start rolling the paper strip around itself. Roll the center fairly tightly, and then more loosely to form the outer petals.

6. When you get close to the end, flip the flower upside down on your work surface (it will resemble a tiny lampshade at this point) and apply glue to base. Press it against the rolled up paper to securely adhere the coiled paper to the base.

7. Repeat steps 2-6 to make enough flowers to cover your wreath.

8. Use hot glue to attach flowers to the wreath, placing them close together and avoiding gaps.

9. Embellish as desired.

Garland

Materials:

Newspaper

Black card stock

Orange card stock

11/2-inch paper punch

Sewing machine

Thread

Instructions:

1. Use paper punch to cut circles from newspaper and cardstock.

2. Sew across one paper circle, and then continue running the machine to create a chain of thread extending from the circle. You can place the next circle right up against the previous, or leave a bit of thread in between.

3. Continue sewing paper circles in a chain, alternating with newspaper and card stock until garland reaches the desired length.