DIY Paper Fan Art

I’ve had this idea for years and have wanted to try it out; my nursery was the perfect opportunity. Paper fan art is a cost-effective way to make a big statement in a room and add some great color.

My fan collage doubles as a great wall-piece in addition to serving as a mobile because while my baby is laying in his crib, he looks to the side and sees a stimulating collage of  colors and shapes. While the idea works great for a nursery, it can be used anywhere for anything!

What You Need:

Glue stick

Paper

Glue gun

Small tacks or nails

How To:

Select your paper.
I went to a scrapbook store and picked up a handful of papers that I thought went well together and matched my pre-existing colors. For the larger fans, buy a couple sheets of the same paper. Keep in mind that the thicker the paper, the harder it will be to fold.

Fold, fold, fold.

You can decide how big the fan will be by either folding the entire page (just like you did when you were in elementary school to make those fabulous fans) and then gluing it to another whole sheet of folded paper or by folding the entire page and then cutting it in half or even in quarters to attach to another folded half or quarter.

Glue folds together.

Glue the end fold of one page onto the next piece of fan paper’s end fold. Once you have enough length, glue the last fold of what now looks like an accordion to the fold of the first fan to make a complete circle.

Hot glue middle.

To prevent the circular fan from popping up like a tent, hot glue the center together on the backside to hold it in place and keep flat.

Give it some character.

You can give your fans some extra pizzazz by cutting a fun trim around the outside or hole-punching circles or shapes into it. You can also layer a smaller fan over the center of a larger fan to make it more three-dimensional and play with color combinations.

Attach to the wall.
I used very small nails to attach each fan to the wall but low-profile tacks and push-pins would probably prove easier.


Total Cost: $12