KRAFT PAPER: Explore creativity in your crafting skills and the versatility of this simple material for functional touches of charm and coziness in your home!

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Many may already be familiar with the use of kraft paper for creative stationery, school activities or even as the well-known packaging filler used by stores and small businesses, etc. However, it’s also no surprise to many that it can be, and is, a material widely used in crafting to create super useful and charming decorative objects, which undoubtedly add a touch of rusticity and a very special personality. It is also highly versatile when it comes to combining with other materials, colors and styles of the environments in which they are placed, and that’s what we’ll talk about here!

I started paying more attention to kraft paper here in New York during my first few weeks, when we were buying most of the things for the apartment online. Soon, boxes and boxes piled up quickly, and inside them, a lot of kraft paper! I’ve always had a sensitive eye for materials, always thinking about what kind of craft could come from them. And coupled with the fact that we live in a rented apartment, where we don’t plan to stay for years and years and, therefore, don’t intend to invest heavily in permanent items for now, I began to think of small functional and/or decorative solutions for the apartment, while also taking advantage of all that kraft paper available. It wasn’t hard for creativity to spark, after all, the perfect environment for sustainable and almost zero-cost art was already created.

As a plant lover, of course, even temporarily, I couldn’t live without at least one or two greenery pieces to bring freshness, peace and good energy to my home, so I quickly made sure to bring in the first one.

Plants commonly come from stores and markets in simple plastic pots, which we later replace and/or place inside decorative plant holders, the true charm of plant decor. So, faced with the need for plant holders, I went online to search for some with a good cost-benefit ratio, which, by the way, is hard to find here hahaha. Ugly and/or small plant holders quickly cost anywhere from 15 to 20 dollars, which is not insignificant when you’re dealing with brazilian reais, right, dear ones?

So that’s how I went about making my own plant holder: through my crafting skills and the abundance of kraft paper available. Using a technique well-known among crafters, I, with a good dose of patience, cut a lot of kraft paper into strips and braided them. I then grouped a few together and glued them onto a frame made of cardboard, wrapping them around the frame as if I were winding a spool of twine. Afterward, I brushed on a mixture of Mod Podge Gloss white glue and water to seal the work, giving it a better finish, durability and firmness. The result was this below:

Braided kraft paper basket/plant holder. (Adriely Salvador/Personal collection)

When I got my second plant, it came in a metal plant holder, but with a brushed black finish that I didn’t like, so I took care of the problem by using kraft paper again and the white glue mixture to give the holder an upgrade and bring more coziness to my entryway.

Kraft paper twisted wrap plant holder. (Adriely Salvador/Personal collection)

The difference between this one and the first plant holder is that, for this second one, I simply cut the kraft paper into strips, twisted the strips without braiding them and glued them as I twisted, again as if I were winding a spool. And that’s how this charming finish turned out!

As I mentioned earlier, I have a keen eye for various materials, especially when they have rustic textures and finishes with the potential to bring a more natural and cozy atmosphere to a space. In the example below, I created an ornament for this essential oil diffuser with a candle, using both kraft paper and other natural materials that complemented the Buddha shape of the diffuser perfectly, offering not only functionality but also the creation of a decorative object full of personality for the piece of furniture supporting the TV.

Handcrafted ornamented diffuser. (Adriely Salvador/Personal collection)

The natural materials in question were nothing more than dried leaves from my second plant, which I saved as they fell, and pistachio shells, perfect for creating a lotus flower shape when glued together. I made two in different sizes, the larger one at the back and the smaller one at the front, with the dried leaves placed between them, all supported on a circular cardboard base and kraft paper, with some of my crystals as a final touch. I loved it!

And last – for now – I made this trivet to hold hot pots, which is also very simple to make. Just like many do with jute twine, this one is made with "kraft paper twine." The same way I made the second plant holder, twisting the paper strips, I just used thinner strips and twisted and glued them in a more uniform way to provide a smoother surface. It’s such a charm!

Twisted kraft paper trivet. (Adriely Salvador/Personal collection)

Many other items can be made with kraft paper. It all depends on a bit of creativity and willingness. Baskets, storage boxes, desk organizers, pencil holders, lampshades... everything can have kraft paper as the main structure or as the final touch, and they can have better durability with the application of varnished finishes. They can also be personalized with patterns made with paints, varnish, stamps and anything else you want to experiment with and is suitable.

The use of kraft paper combined with natural fibers can make your creations even more personalized and cozy, as they share the same rusticity and potential to bring more warmth, personality and functionality to your projects. Jute twine and mesh are excellent fibers to work with alongside kraft paper due to their ease of combining the materials, practicality and easy access.

Explore your skills and see you in the next post!