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When assembling a gift basket, basket filler like shredded paper is an essential component. The filler serves both a functional and decorative purpose, giving height and helping to hold gift items in place, as well as adding to the overall look of the basket.
While paper shred is easy enough to find in craft stores, you can also make your own shredded paper for gift baskets. We’ll share some reasons why you might want to, along with different methods and materials you may need.
Why make your own shredded paper?
You may be wondering, why would I want to make shredded paper when I can buy it pre-made? There are more reasons than you may think!
Cost-effective
Making your own shredded paper can be much more cost-effective than buying the pre-made kind. If you have a basket business, you may appreciate any opportunity to reduce material costs. Keep in mind, making may cost less than buying, but it is also more time-consuming, so be sure to factor in the extra time spent when comparing costs.
Eco-friendly
Do you have extra tissue paper saved up that you have been hoping to find a good use for it? Upcycle it into paper shreds! This is not only much cheaper than buying new since you already have it on hand, but it’s also better for the environment.
Personalized and unique
If you want to make your gift basket stand out, personalization is a great approach. Making your own shredded paper to fill your basket allows you to be extra creative so you can present something truly unique. Plus, there is a certain sense of pride when you make things by hand that you can feel good about sharing with a loved one.
Out of time
Maybe you are assembling a gift basket, realized too late that you forgot to buy shred, and simply don’t have time to run to the store. It may be really handy to know how to make shredded paper with materials you already have on hand!
Materials
What materials can you use to make shredded paper? The most commonly used materials are tissue paper and craft paper, but if you want to get creative, we have a few other ideas to share as well.
Tissue paper
Tissue paper is ideal for making shredded paper because it is inexpensive and easy to work with. It also comes in lots of different colors and is widely available.
Craft paper
Another material that works well is craft paper, card stock, or scrapbook paper. You can find these in all sorts of colors, textures, and patterns to create something one-of-a-kind. Craft paper is thicker and more expensive looking than tissue, but also comes with a higher price tag.
Other materials
To fit a particular theme or achieve a certain look, you may want to consider other more unconventional materials to make paper shred. Some ideas include old newspapers, book pages, magazines, or even art prints.
This collection pictured with a 7-3/16” x 5-1/2” x 3-1/2” rustic wooden mini crate and a weathered gray 4” x 4” x 2-1/2” premium grade open slat crate in by Carpenter Core.
Methods
There are two primary methods you can use to make your own shredded paper, and it all depends on whether you have a paper shredder or not.
Use a paper shredder
The easiest and most obvious way to shred paper is by using a paper shredder. Be sure to use a clean bag or cardboard box to keep your decorative paper separate from other documents. You may also want to (carefully) clean the shredder before starting to avoid mixing. For shorter strips, rotate the paper or cut sections to the desired length before feeding them into the shredder. Tissue paper tends to tear and look a little more uneven and rough, while thicker paper produces more even strips.
Use scissors or paper cutter
What if you don’t have access to a shredder? You can use scissors or a paper cutter to produce the same effect, it just takes a little more time and effort. Take your material of choice and fold it into layers. If using tissue, you can layer and cut several pieces at once. For thicker paper, you may need to use heavy-duty scissors to cut through the layers. To create a crinkled look, make a small accordion or fan fold. Then, simply cut it into thin strips.
Once you have a nice pile of strips cut, separate them by gently unfolding and pulling the layers apart. You may need to fluff them up a bit to add volume, but you will find that a little bit goes a long way. Use your paper shreds to fill the base of your gift basket, and trim any edges if needed.
Now, no matter the reason, you will be able to make your own shredded paper for gift baskets to make your gift even better!