How to Reuse Tiny Paper Scraps for Crafts

When you're wrapping gifts or cutting paper, you may have tiny little pieces that are just trimmings - much too small to use for anything else other than tossing them into the trash- or are they? Since you can't toss them into recycling because of the tiny size and you can't reuse them in large pieces, you or your child can reuse these tiny scraps of paper for two interesting craft projects.

The first step is to get all the tiny scraps as similar in size as possible. To do this, dump all the pieces onto a table, decide which size you'd rather work with, then use a pair of good scissors that won't create jagged edges and cut up the paper scraps into the same size.

Decorate a Box

Take a small, plain box you no longer need and coat the entire lid of your box with a thin layer of glue. Grab a hand-full of the paper scraps and put it on top of the glue - press it down slightly so the paper sticks to the box. Let it sit and dry for an hour, then shake the box upside down to remove any loose pieces. Use more glue and paper scraps to fill in the gaps and let it sit for additional time to dry. Shake it again, then when there are no more gaps or a substantial amount of pieces falling off, use a spray adhesive to coat the entire layer of scraps - it will help all of them stay on without falling off and creating a mess.

Cover a Notebook

Purchase clear Con-Tact paper and trim a piece slightly larger than the size of the front and back covers of the book as well as the binding - there should be enough to cover the notebook as well as slightly fold over onto the inside. Open up the notebook, then lay it flat down onto the non-sticky side of the Con-Tact paper and outline it. Take the paper scraps and press them onto the sticky side of the clear Con-Tact paper only within the space you outlined until the entire space is covered with a very thin, solid layer of paper scraps. Place the Con-Tact paper scraps-side down onto the opened flat notebook, then fold the edges that aren't covered with scraps onto the inside of the notebook so it sticks on. Press everything down so it sticks on, especially around the edges.

Total up the amount of paper scraps that people toss out each year and it's a huge amount that's sitting in the landfill right now. Other than reusing them for environmental purposes, using the scraps of paper for the two art projects creates interesting items that are tailored to your style and preference.