Paper Cut-out Cookies on a Plate
Cookie Cutters: Not Just For Cookies Anymore! Post # 10A: Paper “Cut-out Cookies” (Construction Paper, Wrapping Paper, Scrapbook Paper & Cardstock, Sandpaper, Greeting Cards & Other Paper)
Make these no-bake treats not to eat but to:
– – – tie on a greenery garland or wreath
– – – hang on the tree
– – – suspend by ribbons from curtain rods & mirrors
– – – string together to make a garland for the mantel
– – – tie on a package for decoration and to use as gift tag
– – – glue on a card
– – – decorate a scrapbook page
– – – string together and drape between two windows
– – – hang as birthday party decorations
– – – glue to a paper plate and hang several across the mantel
– – – and much, much, more!
This is a great craft for kids! And if you use construction paper, up-cycled wrapping paper & other found paper it’s very, very inexpensive too.
A great rainy day activity – – – just pull out some seasonal (or not so seasonal) cutters & some basic art supplies and your kids will be occupied for hours!
You can make “paper” cookie cutter ornaments from a variety of materials. I am going to discuss paper and craft foam.
To make this post more manageable I am going to divide the category of “paper” cookie cutter ornaments into three types. Each type of ornament material will be discussed in a separate post.
- Post 10A: Paper “Cut-out Cookies”
- Post 10B: Ephemera “Cut-out Cookies”
- Post 10C: Craft Foam “Cut-out Cookies”
Paper cookie cutter ornaments make great “Memory Ornaments”. I will discuss this option in Post 10B: Ephemera “Cut-out Cookies”.
With the variety of papers and cutters available the possibilities for this craft project are endless!
Paper “Cut-out Cookies”
For this craft some form of paper is needed. This can come from almost any source. Some sources that leap to mind are construction paper, wrapping paper, scrapbook paper & cardstock, sandpaper, and unused greeting cards.
Keep your eyes open for “found” paper – paper that might otherwise be thrown away – like Christmas gift wrapping paper scraps, printed documents, printer test pages, and junk mail printed on one side.
Materials
- Tan/light brown cardstock or heavy construction paper for “cookies”
- White/light colored paper for “icing”
- Assorted color paper and thin craft foam (to punch)
- “Found” paper: wrapping paper scraps, paper bags, sandpaper, single sided letters or other documents, mailing flyers, etc.
- Trims: ribbon, jute, rick rack, lace, etc.
- Embellishments: jingle bells, buttons, sequins, googley eyes (for gingerbread people), mini candy canes, foam or paper punches, etc.
Also Need
- Simple shaped cookie cutters, nesting and/or non-nesting
- Scissors
- Elmer’s glue stick
- Elmer’s white school glue
- Cotton swab or paint brush
- Small container for glue
- Assorted punches (optional)
- Coarse glitter (optional)
- Very fine white glitter (optional)
- White paper plates
Costs
- I had all the materials on-hand so this was a FREE craft for me.
- The cost of the project depends on the type of paper used.
- If construction paper, wrapping paper scraps (saved from the trash), and other found paper (brown paper bags, sandpaper, single sided test prints, other documents, mailing flyers, etc.) is used the cost of the project would be less than $5 for possibly a hundred ornaments!
- If scrapbook paper and cardstock are used the project would be $5 to $10 for two dozen or more ornaments. Wait till the paper and cardstock are on sale or use a coupon to reduce the cost of these ornaments.
Instructions for Making “Cookies”
- Select Your Materials: You can make these with almost any type of paper or cardboard you have on-hand.
- Choose Your Cutters: Use a simply shaped cutter. The less detailed the shape of the cutter the easier it will be to trace and cut out. You can use all one shape or lots of different shapes to make your “cookies”. Gift wrap scraps saved from Christmas present wrapping can be cut into seasonal shapes and made in package decorations that coordinate with the gift’s wrapping paper or into ornaments for the tree that match the presents underneath.
- Assemble Materials: To keep everything together assemble all materials need into a plastic tote. You can clean off your workspace when you are done for the session and everything will be together when you return to craft. Use cheap white paper plates to keep all the pieces of one ornament shape together. Also provides a place to put the ornament while it dries.
- Cut “Icing” Shape: You will cut out the “icing” part of the “cookie” first. This will be cut from WHITE or PASTEL solid color paper. The “icing” may also be cut from wrapping or other found paper. Example: You test printed a document to proof and now plan to discard it – save any pages that do not have marks showing through to the blank side of the paper.
- Maximize The Use Of Paper: Arrange the cookie cutters on WHITE (or light colored) paper carefully in order to maximize the use of paper and trace cutters on the paper.
- Cut The “Icing” Shapes Out: Save the scraps to punch holes and shapes from. Place small pieces in a gallon size plastic jar to store until needed. How about using that tea jug that is leaking around the spigot? One more handy thing kept out of the landfill!
- Finish The Cookie: Glue the white “icing” shapes on the TAN cardstock or heavy construction paper. Leave about a 1 ½ inch space between the WHITE shapes so that you have enough paper for a border on each cookie. Let dry and then cut around each of the WHITE shapes leaving a ¼ to ½ inch edge of tan or BROWN paper to serve as the “cookie”. Trim up the rough edges of the tan “cookie” as needed.
- Decorate: Now you are ready to decorate the top of the “cookie”.
Decorating Instructions
- “Sprinkles”: To make “sprinkles” punch colored paper or craft foam with a single hole punch. Use a mini heart or star shaped punch to resemble shaped sprinkles. Coarse glitter, sequins, tiny beads, etc. can also be used to represent “sprinkles”.
- “Icing Sparkles”: Fine white glitter adds a realistic gleam to white “icing”. Apply a thin layer of glue over the “icing” and then sprinkle very fine white glitter over the glue. Allow drying time and it’s ready to use!
- Alligator: I made this alligator out of scraps of green plaid gift wrap. Glue wrapping paper to heavy white paper or cardstock to reinforce it. After dry trace the shape of a gator cutter. I went over the trace line heavily with a red permanent maker to make a border as it added extra dimension. Cut gator out leaving an about a ½ inch edge for the “cookie”. I embellished the ornament with a wooden button eye and punched a hole in the tail to tie on braided and knotted rust colored raffia. You could also tie a ribbon around the neck and add a jingle bell.
- Mini Gingerbread Boy: Ok, I fess up – I cheated on this one! He is a craft punch. But you can just as easily cut a gingerbread man, large or small, from sandpaper and then back it with heavy paper. Sandwich a hanger between the two layers.
- Large Gingerbread Girl: I cut the “icing” part of the gingerbread girl from sugar cookie scrapbook paper and then backed it with brown cardstock to serve as the cookie. Wooden buttons on her dress front complete the ornament.
- Gingerbread Star: I added ½ inch round punch for the middle of the star and added thin lines of “icing” radiating from the center of the star. Lastly I scattered round punches from a regular punch around the “icing”.
- Bear: For the bear I used baby shower giftwrap. Some paper, like giftwrap, needs to be reinforced by gluing it to cardstock with a glue stick. After the glue is dry trace and cut the shape. The design on the paper did not fit horizontally so I turned the cutter so the pattern was vertical and the design I wanted fit . Punch a hole in the top of the ornament and attach a ribbon. I will show you how to embellish this ornament in the next post where I discuss ephemera.
- Candy Cane: Trace a candy cane on red checked Christmas giftwrap scraps. Go over the trace line with a red permanent marker to create a border for added definition. Cut out the candy cane. Glue to white cardstock. Cut around the candy cane with zigzag scissors leaving a decorative edge. Glue to brown cardstock and cut around the cane leaving a “cookie” border. Punch a hole in the top of the ornaments and add a ribbon hanger. Tie a shoestring bow on the hanger and tie small jingle bells on the ends of the bow.
- Mini Gingerbread Boy Card: Again I used the punch but you can cut a mini gingerbread man from sandpaper. Fold white cardstock into a 3” to 4’ square and cut around the edges with decorative stickers. Glue a line of red rick-rack to the card as an accent. Glue the gingerbread man to the front of the card and then decorate with punches or paint. Punch a hole in the corner of the card and attach more rick-rack as a hanger.
- Christmas Tree: This tree is made from white cardstock and brown cardstock. To decorate punch ½ inch to 1” circles from foam or paper. Cut the circles into halves. Glue to tree to resemble a garland. Glue round punches (I used red & white checked scrapbook paper and a regular hole punch to make these.) around the tree.
Project Uses
There are as many ways to use this finished craft product as there are ways to decorate the “cookies”!
The way you plan to use the ornament determines where you punch the hole for the hanger or if you even use a hanger at all.
Don’t reserve this craft project for Christmas only. Anyone can have a tree for any holiday – Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, Patriotic Holidays, Halloween, and Thanksgiving (did I leave any out?) – or any season – Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter – decorated with these terribly inexpensive ornaments.
I have cutters for all these and more! You may have guessed that I collect cookie cutters and cookie related items.
You can save the ornaments for next year or make a whole new set each year! The kids will have a blast making these trees!
Punch a hole in the top of the “cookie”:
- Lace ribbon, string, cord or other trim through the top of each ornament to create a hanger to hang on the tree or to tie on a garland or wreath.
- Attach a long ribbon to the ornaments and then suspend from a curtain rod and let them hang down in the window. Alternate one long and one short ribbon length across the window.
- Create a mobile with two bamboo skewers (snip off the pointed ends with small garden snips) and ribbon or cord. Tape the skewers firmly together in a “X” shape. Tie a hanger in the middle to hang the mobile by. Hang the mobile base from a light fixture or ceiling duct. Attach pieces of ribbon to the cookies and then tie the loose ends to the bamboo skewers. Alternate lengths of the ribbon so that each ornament dangles freely.
- Hang in front of mirrors suspended by ribbons.
- Attach to a gift wrapped package as a package decoration. Write “To” and “From” on the back with a silver metallic permanent marker (dark paper) or ink pen (light paper).
Punch holes on each side of the ornament:
- String several together in a garland using ribbon or other trim.
- Join gingerbread men together with a paper fastener and make a string of gingerbread men.
- To make a Birthday Garland cut letters of the child’s name from a half sheet of solid color paper then glue letters to a large paper square (about a half sheet) of a contrasting color. Double mat with a decorative paper (wrapping or scrapbook paper) if desired. Punch holes in either side of letter block. String the letters on yarn or ribbon alternating with cookie shapes.
Punch a hole in the top & bottom of the “cookie”:
- String cookies together in a vertical fashion. Hang several strands from a dowel and use as a mobile.
No hanger:
- Take a piece of grey construction paper or cardstock. Round the corners so the page resembles a cookie sheet. You can outline the sheet with a grey marker and draw on handles. Then tape or glue “cookies” to the “cookie sheet”. Hang as a decoration.
- Or make a “cookie sheet” from metallic cardstock or cardboard covered with aluminum foil.
- Use a Dollar Tree cookie sheet and glue magnets to the back of the “cookies”. Let the kids change the magnet display board daily or use the set as a counting helper. Glue a hanger to the back or thread a hanger through the hole in the handle to hang on the back of the door or wall to display.
- Punch two holes in the top of a a white paper plate with a two hole punch. Thread ribbon through the holes and tie into a bow. Tape or glue paper “cookies” to the plate. Pull taunt and then use ribbon loop to hang your decoration.
- Glue to a gift bag as a package decoration. This is especially effective if foam punches, buttons, and other embellishments are used as it give a 3D effect to the bag design.
Alternative “Cookie” Making Instructions: This method involves using a set of nesting shapes. The larger one is the “cookie” and the smaller the “frosting”.
- Use the larger shape to trace the “cookie” shape on a heavy light brown/tan paper and cut shapes out. Save the scraps to punch holes & other punches from.
- Arrange the smaller nesting cookie cutters on WHITE paper in a way as to maximize paper use.
- Trace the inside of the smaller cutters on the paper.
- Cut the shapes out. Again save the scraps to punch holes from.
- Trim white shape if needed so it fits inside the TAN shape. Glue the WHITE shape onto TAN shape with a glue stick. Let dry. Decorate.
Thank you for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. If you have any questions or something is not clear, please let me know so that I can improve the tutorial.
Please take a moment to leave a comment and rate this post.
Thanks again.
Trace outline with a red marker to create a border.
Glue reinforced shape (I left a decorative white border) to brown or tan cardstock.
Cut around the shape leaving about a 1/2 inch brown border and embellish.
Alligator, Gingrebread Girl, Mini Gingerbread Boy & Star Paper Cookie Ornaments
Mini gingerbread men ornaments made from cookie and baking scrapbook paper and backed with brown cardstock. The shape & embellishments are from a punch, but you can cut a mini gb boy cookie cutter shape and draw or paint on features, buttons, & bow.
My 17 y.o. son made this ornament for me in Kindergarten. It was cut from a template from a jumbo cookie cutter. I loved it then, and I still treasure it! Be sure to write the maker's name and the date on the back. This sandpaper is stiff enough that it doesn't need to be backed.
Paper "cookies" on a cookie sheet (made from grey paper).
Trace cookie cutter on "icing" paper.
This is actually a GB man notepad sheet that I embellished. But you can see that a paper GB man ornament would look tres cute when glued to a plain paper lunch sack giftbag!
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