'Tis the season to dig out your wallpaper offcuts and samples from the days of decorating past! These patterned pieces can be crafted into elegant festive details or simply repurposed to beautifully wrap gifts. We will show you how, with a little imagination and a pair of scissors, even the smallest scraps can bring texture, colour and a sense of homemade style to your festive decorations. So, pop on the kettle and the Festive Tunes and let's settle in for an afternoon of merry makes...
Craft 1: Beautifully Wrapped Gifts
Even the most practical or predictable presents (socks for Dad again?) feel special when they’re wrapped with loving intention. Wallpaper offcuts offer a richness and weight that instantly elevate a parcel, giving gifts the air of something wonderfully indulgent.
Pair your wallpaper offcuts with gorgeous ribbon, twine or a sprig of greenery, and the result is a package that shows care, creativity and genuine thoughtfulness. It’s a small gesture, but one that transforms the act of giving into something truly memorable.
Craft 2: Wallpaper Table Runner and Placemats
A surplus length of wallpaper can make a very stylish and practical table runner and/ or a set of placemats. The heavy-weight quality of the wallpaper will ensure good durability and the whole lot can be disposed of (along with the spills, paper hats and terrible cracker jokes) at the end of the meal.
Craft 3: Festive Paperchains
Small wallpaper scraps and samples are ideal for creating paper chains that feel nostalgic and homely. The weight and pattern of wallpaper give each link a satisfying sturdiness, turning a simple child-friendly craft into a stylish festive decoration. To make your own, cut the wallpaper into uniform strips, around 2 to 3 cm wide works well, then form the first strip into a loop and secure it with double-sided tape or a dab of strong paper glue. Thread the next strip through the loop, fasten it in the same way, and continue until you have a chain as long as you like. Hang it along a mantelpiece, weave it through a banister or drape it around the tree; however you use it, this is a wonderfully simple way to give leftover wallpaper a joyful second life.
Craft 4: Wallpaper Gift Bag
With a little practice and patience, leftover wallpaper can be transformed into charming gift bags that feel far more luxurious than shop-bought versions.
Choose a piece of wallpaper that’s large enough for your gift — a good starting size is around 30 × 45 cm for a small bag, or 40 × 55 cm for a medium one. Lay the wallpaper face down and fold the long edges toward the centre so they overlap by about 1–2 cm; glue this seam to form a tube. Fold up the bottom edge by 8–10 cm to create the base, then open this folded section and press it into a flattened diamond shape. Fold the top and bottom points of the diamond inward so they overlap, and glue securely. Stand the bag upright and gently crease the side edges to give it structure. Finish by punching two small holes at the top and threading through ribbon or twine for handles. The result is a sturdy, beautifully patterned gift bag that makes even the smallest present feel special.
Craft 5: Picture Frame Insert
Picture frames make wonderfully personal gifts for all ages, and they’re even better when given a second life. A thrifted frame is ideal, because when you’re replacing the artwork with a beautiful piece of wallpaper, it no longer matters whether you like the original picture; you can focus entirely on finding a frame with charm and character. Simply remove the back, cut a section of wallpaper to fit the existing mount or opening, and secure it in place before reassembling the frame. Pretty florals, bold geometrics or rich textured designs all work beautifully, turning a humble off-cut into a decorative piece ready for a desk, shelf or hallway wall. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes an excellent Secret Santa gift; stylish, affordable and one-of-a-kind.
Craft 6: Christmas Bunting
Wallpaper bunting brings a sense of celebration to any space, where its mixture of patterns and textures catch the light in a way that feels cosy and joyful. It’s wonderfully versatile too – you can create a shorter strand to brighten a mantelpiece or shelf, or make a much longer garland to drape from corner to corner across a room for a more dramatic seasonal display.
To make your own, start by cutting a diamond-shaped template from card – something around 12–15 cm tall works well. Use this to trace and cut diamond shapes from your chosen wallpaper scraps and samples. Fold each diamond in half to create a double-sided triangle. Lay a length of twine inside the fold, then glue the two halves together so the twine is enclosed neatly inside the crease. Repeat the process, spacing each flag evenly along the twine, until your bunting is as long as you’d like. Once finished, hang it wherever you want a touch of handmade festive charm!
Above: Craft 7: Dinner Table Place Cards
Ensure everyone sits exactly where you’d like them to with simple yet stylish place cards made from wallpaper scraps. Perfect when made with small-scale patterns or interesting textures, they add a sweet, festive touch to the table, and they take only minutes to create. For place cards that stand neatly and feel substantial, start by cutting small rectangles of stiff paper or card (around 8 × 10 cm works well) and fold each one in half to create a tent-style base. Next, cut scraps of wallpaper of the same size and use adhesive to mount them onto the card, smoothing out any bubbles to achieve a crisp, clean finish. If the wallpaper is thick, lightly score the fold line before attaching it to help it crease more easily. Add each guest’s name using a plain label, a contrasting card panel, or a metallic pen directly on the wallpaper if the pattern is subtle enough. Arrange the finished cards at each setting and enjoy the satisfaction of a beautifully curated Christmas table, with perfect seating arrangements to match.
Below: Craft 8: Wallpaper Stars
Wallpaper stars bring a wonderfully festive feel to any room, their crisp folds, patterned surfaces and sculptural shape twirling beautifully, making them perfect for windows, walls or ceilings. They can be made in all sorts of sizes, from tiny ornaments to bold statement pieces, and you can keep the edges clean or add decorative trims for extra flair. You’ll need a little patience and some strong glue (or a stapler for quicker assembly), but the results are well worth it.
A quick YouTube search for paper star tutorials will guide you through the process step by step.
