Knitting & Crocheting Aug 30, 2020

Rustic Santa Claus Decor from Old Book Pages

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Christmas is my favorite time of year so of course, I have to turn an old book into this amazing rustic paper Santa Claus decoration. Using old books to create fun new projects is one of my favorite things to do. Combining two favorites into one project was a must and the result turned out incredible! Make this amazing Santa Claus to add to a table, mantle, or shelf in your home this holiday season!

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Table of Contents

Paper Santa Claus Décor

If you are looking for a truly unique, one of a kind Christmas decoration, look no further. This lovely decoration is made using an old book and it gives such a fun look.

One of the better things about upcycling an old book is that you are saving something that would otherwise be thrown out with the garbage. Being able to turn it into something so cute just adds to the joy!

This project can be made with any size book and decorated uniquely to suit your home. Whether you add more traditional colors or turn your Santa into something unique and different doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it makes you happy!

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What is the Best Paint for Paper

When you are painting these papers, it is not so much which paints are the best it is more about how thin the paint is. I like to use watercolor paints because it lets the color be seen but it doesn’t cover the words on the paper.

To do Santa’s hat on this project, a bit thicker paint worked better. Acrylic craft paint was the choice this time, but it could have been any number of paints and still turned out amazing.

Other options are to water down your acrylic paint or even use a thin layer of spray paint. Whatever you choose, just have fun creating your own unique Santa.

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What Ways Can I Make My Paper Santa Unique?

One reason why I love making my own decorations is that can make sure they are truly unique. I love knowing that nobody else can have an identical decoration because each one is truly new and fresh. Santa Claus is a perfect place to customize a decoration and make it different.

For this project, I went traditional with a piece of sparkling white tinsel around the bottom of the painted hat and red rosy cheeks. That doesn’t mean your Santa has to be just like mine. Below are a few ideas to make your Santa just a bit different.

Use cotton balls for a fake beard instead of the paper mustache and face.
Add glitter glue all around the edge of the hat and along the seams of the hat and book page folds.
Paint different colors for his eyes.
Make the face different colors so it matches your race. White, brown, cream, tan and more can work to make it fit your family better.
Use beads instead of tinsel to line the hat.
Paint the hat different colors for a unique style to match a themed holiday plan.

There is no perfect right or wrong way to make this Santa. All you need to do is just have fun!

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Can I Hang This from the Ceiling?

If you wanted to have this adorable paper Santa Claus hanging from the ceiling instead of using it on a table, you can. You will want to attach yarn or string to the paper. I like the idea of adding it inside the pages to make it more sturdy. You can also attach the string to the top. I like to use red yarn or even a white with silver through it to make it more festive.

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Supplies Needed

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How to Make a Paper Santa Claus

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Remove the outer cover of the book leaving the binding glue in place.

Take the first page, and fold down from the top at an angle making the top of the page a triangle.

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Now, fold the outside of the page over toward the inside edge vertically into a long thin triangle so the bottom of the page hangs over the bottom of the book slightly.

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Take the piece of the page that is hanging over the edge of the book and crease along the edge.

Unfold this slightly then fold that creased part inward so the bottom edge of the paper is even.

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Continue this process repeating on every page until you have folded every page of the book.

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Now, you will stand the book up and bring the outer two pages together to secure with glue so they stand up in a tree like shape.

About 4-5″ down from the top, start painting upward creating a hat shape.

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Continue adding a light layer of paint all around the top part of the book to create a hat then set it aside to dry for 15-20 minutes until the paint is no longer sticky or wet.

Glue tinsel around the bottom edge of the hat.

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Add a sparkly pom pom to the top of the hat.

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On a piece of cream colored paper, draw a simple face outline and cut it out.

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Now, cut a piece that is flat on one side and rounded on the other and roll it together then glue on the back side to create a nose.

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Glue this in place on the middle of the face.

Next, cut out a mustache shape from an old book page and then use a pencil to roll the edges up a bit to look more natural.

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Glue the mustache in place.

Now, add cheeks, eyes, and a smile to your face.

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Cut a 6-7″ length of wire and shape into wire glasses.

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Glue the glasses onto the nose of the face.

Next, glue the face onto the front of the Santa just below the hat.

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Display your Santa on a shelf or mantle as desired.

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More Easy Christmas Decorations

If you want to add even more Santa and Christmas cheer to your home this holiday season, check out these favorites below. There are tons of ideas for making Santa Claus come to life around the holidays.

Crafter’s Tip

If you aren’t comfortable drawing a Santa face freehand, check out this great printable set of Santa faces you can print, cut, and glue in place instead.

Yield: 1

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Grab an old book and some paint to create this adorable paper Santa Claus decor! Add tinsel and pom poms to add sparkle and make this a fun new decoration for your holiday mantle!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $2