If you love working with paper as much as we do, you’ll know that you can never have enough ideas. There’s always something new to try, and seeing fresh ideas come to life from sheets of paper has a magical quality to it.

To help you get that magic feeling, below, you will find fifty easy and fun adult craft ideas to try, including origami and quilling ideas.

Here’s what you need to make them all:

• Paper/card
• PVA glue or hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Twine
• Stapler
• Hole puncher
• Eyelets
• Printer
• Watercolour paint set

Let’s jump in!

Origami ideas

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding. It transforms a sheet of paper into a three-dimensional model, and it’s great fun to learn! If you’re getting started with origami, these are the models we recommend you try first:

1. Jumping Frog

Best tutorial: It’s Always Autumn

The Jumping Frog is really easy to make with only 16 folds. All you need is a sheet of square origami paper or any thin printer paper.

2. Butterfly

Best tutorial: Goorigami

The butterfly is an origami classic, and it’s surprisingly easy to make with ten folds. You need a square sheet of paper, ideally textured.

3. Masu Box

Best tutorial: Origami.me

The Masu Box is perfect when you need a small box for a gift. It requires around twenty folds, but when you have the hang of it, it’s a piece of cake!

4. Modular Cube Box

Best tutorial: The Spruce Crafts

The Modular Cube Box will help you develop your folding skills as you learn to fold and unfold your paper without damaging it.

5. Crane

Best tutorial: Instructables

The Crane is what most people envision with origami, and it’s surprisingly easy! It takes around 20 folds and makes a sweet gift.

6. Lotus Flower

Best tutorial: Origami.guide

The Lotus Flower looks more complicated than it is, requiring only 22 folds (and a few more small folds if you want to add detail).

7. Crow

Best tutorial: Origami.guide

The Crow is a beautiful geometric origami piece that’s ideal for Halloween. It takes around 30 folds, but the time is well worth it.

8. Fan

Best tutorial: Origami Tutorial

The Fan is the simplest origami model to make, and you can use any thin paper. It requires around 28 folds, but most of them are the same!

9. Boat

Best tutorial: The Spruce Crafts

The Boat floats on water forever when made with wax paper, and it’s easy to make. You’ll need a rectangular sheet of paper.

10. Envelope

Best tutorial: The Spruce Crafts

The Envelope is a practical origami model that lets you make an envelope for the letters you write. It takes around 15 minutes with around 30 folds.

Papercraft ideas

Papercraft involves using paper and cardstock to make two and three-dimensional objects. Unlike origami, papercraft allows cutting and sticking (with glue, tape, staples, etc.) to make larger, intricate models like houses and trees.

11. DIY Birdhouses

Best tutorial: Heart Filled Spaces

If you’re looking for a bigger papercraft project, DIY Birdhouses are ideal! You’ll need thick, sturdy cardstock, adhesive, scissors and a printer.

12. Tissue Paper Lei

Best tutorial: Smart Party Planning

Tissue Paper Leis make fantastic garlands for parties. All you need is multi-coloured tissue paper, string, scissors and a bit of imagination.

13. Tissue Paper Wreath

Best tutorial: A Blissful Nest

Tissue Paper Wreaths are ideal for seasonal events, parties and decorating, letting you fill your house with colourful papercrafts.

14. Tissue Paper Flowers

Best tutorial: The Country Cottage Chic

Tissue Paper Flowers make the perfect addition to parties and weddings, and you can make them as fancy as you like with different colours.

15. Paper Chain Rainbow Wall Hanging

Best tutorial: Whitehouse Crafts

A Paper Chain Rainbow Wall Hanging is a great way to add some colour and art to your walls on a budget. It’s a challenge but well worth it.

16. Paper Daisies

Best tutorial: Papershape

Paper Daisies are beautiful additions to gift boxes and table displays. You can also put them in jars because they look so realistic.

17. Rainbow Paper Dahlia Flowers

Best tutorial: Craftaholics Anonymous

Rainbow Paper Dahlia Flowers are so cute and beautiful. They make ideal wall decorations, and you can make them for every new season.

18. Paper Village

Best tutorial: OGCrafts

Another big project you should try is a Paper Village, complete with papercut houses and trees. A fantastic idea for families!

19. Paper Houseplants

Best tutorial: Living Lars

If your house needs a little bit of colour, you can make some paper houseplants! The linked tutorial will help you make a lovely cactus.

20. Cardboard Coasters

Best tutorial: Instructables

Need a few coasters? No problem! You can make your own with cardboard from old boxes or ridged cardboard you buy from an art store.

Cards and tags ideas

The most creative minds out there look at blank paper and see unlimited opportunities for cards and gifts. Making your own cards and tags will save you money and bring something special to every occasion. Here are our favourite ideas:

21. Ice Cream Gift Tags

Best tutorial: Mockeri

These ice cream gift tags are scrumptious! Download the templates from Mockeri, and all you’ll need are scissors, twine, a hole puncher and a printer.

22. Watercolour Gradient Gift Tags

Best tutorial: Eat Drink Chic

Water gradient gift tags are perfect for showcasing your mastery of colour. You can make them in any shape and create custom gradients with paint.

23. Chevron Gift Tags with Eyelets

Best tutorial: Doodlecraft Blog

If you want fancy gift tags with eyelets, this one is for you! Our linked tutorial has templates to print, so all you need is blank paper, a hole puncher and eyelet rings.

24. Dino Boy Birthday Card

Best tutorial: Houses Built of Cards

This Dino Boy Birthday Card is a great way to gift children something personal. You need patterned paper, or you can draw your own dinosaurs.

25. Sprinkles Lollipop Card

Best tutorial: Tikkido

If you’re looking for a unique homemade birthday card idea, the Springles Lollipop Card is a great choice. Get creative with coloured paper to make it special.

26. DIY Money Holder Card

Best tutorial: Studio DIY!

Are you gifting cold, hard cash? Studio DIY’s Money Holder Card is just what you need! You need paper or cardstock, an envelope template and double-sided tape.

27. A Little Note Card

Best tutorial: Three Umbrellas

This clean and simple card is perfect for any occasion. All you need is blank cardstock, twine, glue and a bit of imagination to create something wonderful.

28. Kissing Cards

Best tutorial: Instructables

Ideal for romantic occasions like Valentine’s Day, Kissing Cards are made from a paper sheet folded over. So cute!

29. DIY Paper Scroll

Best tutorial: Paper & Stitch

If you’re looking for something really simple, the DIY Paper Scroll is perfect! It’s basically just a roll of craft paper with your writing on it. Easy!

30. Washi Tape DIY Card

Best tutorial: Omiyage Blogs

We love this one! The card is made from luxury paper stock with cut and transferred washi tape for writing and art. Clean and simple.

Quilling ideas

Quilling, also known as paper filigree, is the art of paper rolling and pinching to shape several pieces of paper into decorative objects. You can make boxes, flowers, animal figures and much more. Here are our favourite easy ideas:

31. Loose and Tight Coils

Best tutorial: Northpole

Coils are the easiest quilling items to make. All you need is a long strip of paper and PVA glue or a pin to hold the coil together once you’ve rolled it up.

32. Teardrops

Best tutorial: The Papery Craftery

Teardrops are the next level up from coils, but they are easy to make too – you just make a coil and pinch it to turn it into a teardrop!

33. Squares and Diamonds

Best tutorial: Craftsy

This one is easy, although quilling squares and diamonds requires more finesse than teardrops because you want to make them perfectly symmetrical.

34. Scrolls

Best tutorial: The Papery Craftery

Scrolls can be used to decorate flowers and give reptile models detail. You can also make double scrolls and mother and baby scrolls with one coil with some practice.

35. Quilled Bird (combing technique)

Best tutorial: The Crafty Angels

This one is a little harder, but the end result is a wonderful art display. The trick is to make very fine strands of paper and pin them together.

36. Snowflakes

Best tutorial: The Papery Craftery

Quilled snowflakes are made from multiple teardrop coils fixed to a central spiral. They are easy to make, but you need to have the patience to make all the coils.

37. Quilled Vase

Best tutorial: Instructables

A quilled vase makes a beautiful gift or home decoration. All you need is a pack of multi-coloured paper, glue, scissors and an old vase.

38. Quilled Heart Photo Frame

Best tutorial: She Saved

If you have an old photo frame lying around, don’t chuck it! You can transform it with coils of various shapes to make a beautiful, colourful frame.

39. Quilled Heart Decoration

Best tutorial: Craft Ideas

Want to make a decoration for a loved one? Quilling a heart decoration is easy because you only need coils and a cardboard frame in the shape of a heart.

40. Quilled Flower Basket

Best tutorial: She Saved

This quilling idea is perfect for framing as a work of art! You’ll use multi-coloured paper to make coils, teardrops and diamonds.

Seasonal ideas

Whether it’s Christmas, Halloween or Mother’s Day, papercraft offers you a way to gift something personal and special. You can use any of the ideas in this article, but the ideas below are our favourites:

41. Pull Tab Note

Best tutorial: I Try DIY

Pull Tab Notes are ideal for giving private messages. You don’t need any scissors or glue, just a rectangular sheet of paper (plain or printed).

42. 3D Paper Star

Best tutorial: The Spruce Crafts

3D Paper Stars are perfect as Christmas tree decorations, and you can thread multiple stars together to make a gorgeous garland.

43. 3D Paper Christmas Tree

Best tutorial: The Craftaholic Witch

Papercraft trees are easy to make and last forever if looked after. Best of all, our linked tutorial requires no glue, just paper and scissors!

44. Ghost Origami

Best tutorial: The Spruce Crafts

Ideal for Halloween, this Ghost Origami model requires only a sheet of plain paper that’s white on both sides and a black marker pen for the eyes!

45. Bat Origami

Best tutorial: Red Ted Art

Another favourite for Halloween, this bat has a goofy face and rosy, red cheeks! It’s also very easy to make, requiring less than ten folds.

46. Origami Witch

Best tutorial: Krokotak

Want to make a fantastic Halloween card? This origami witch has an origami head and a drawn body, letting you create a great memento.

47. Paper Heart Cone Tree

Best tutorial: I Gotta Create!

This delightful heart cone tree makes a fantastic Valentine’s Day gift, especially when you use multi-coloured paper.

48. Paper Heart Wreath

Best tutorial: Blooming Homestead

If you have a bit more time to spend making a Valentine’s Day gift, this Paper Heart Wreath is beautiful, especially when made with bright red paper.

49. Origami Rose in Bloom

Best tutorial: The Craftaholic Witch

Perfect for Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, this Origami Rose in Bloom from The Craftaholic Witch is easy to make and super cute.

50. Paper Teacups

Best tutorial: Make Life Lovely

Paper Teacups are perfect for table displays and wedding mementoes, taking just ten minutes to make with ordinary paper and a glue gun.

51. Fruit Slice Corner Bookmarks

Best tutorial: Frugal Mom Eh!

Need a gift idea for summer? These Fruit Slice Corner Bookmarks fit the bill! All you need are a few sheets of square coloured paper, glue, and scissors to make them.

 

We hope you enjoyed these adult craft ideas – if you’re feeling inspired, head over to our shop to start buying all the materials you need to get started!