Stickers: 7 Ways to Make Paper Craft Projects Without Using Glue or Tape

It is very easy to reach my double sided tape or any of my various glues when making paper crafts. One of the things I love about paper is that there are often many ways to achieve the result you want. Sticking things together with glue and tape is just one way to make your items stay where you want them. Come with me to see some other ideas to make things stick!

You can do your project without any type of adhesive. Taking a challenge to do so is a fun way to get inspired. Here are seven ways you can get your project done without adhesives.

1. Nails

If you’ve been a paper craftsman for a while, you’re probably familiar with brads. They are made of metal and come with a pin backing that can be pushed through layers of paper to hold the ornaments together. You often see them worn amid layers of flowers. There is no reason you cannot use them in other ways such as to hold the mats in place, to place labels where you want them, to attach a small album or booklet, to make a swing label to cover the hidden journal, to Provide an anchor for ribbon, braid, or cord, or as an ornament in its own right. Use an odd number of nails in a row to draw attention to a place on your page or card, make a curved line out of them, or use them as corner points.

2. Sewing

Hand sewing or machine sewing can add a lot to your pages and cards, as well as being a convenient way to keep your items together. Join layers of card stock or designer paper using straight lines or decorative stitching. Sew around a photo using straight or zig zag stitch or blanket stitch to attach it to your mat (first use a paper hole punch and grid template to make way for the needle and thread when sewing by hand). Sew buttons into your design to keep things in place. Sew album pages together, with threads or yarn or twine. Make a book out of folded paper with the spine stitched. Sew felt or other materials to make flowers or any other shape you want and then sew them in place. Sew the ribbon to your page.

Innuendo: If you use your sewing machine to do paper crafts, make sure you have a needle just for sewing paper. Sewing through the paper will cause the needle to come off a bit and can cause snags on fabric items afterwards.

3. Clips and other stationer hardware

Searching stationery stores can reveal wonderful items for you to use in your paper making. Paper clips, small bulldog clips, pins, colored staples, and the like can be used in place of nails, glue, or tape. Manufacturers are constantly coming out with new trinkets for the office. Why not incorporate them into your papermaking projects?

4. Paper folding, cutting and pressing

Smart ways to fold or crimp paper can help you live without adhesives, too. Make slots in your paper to place photos or doilies in each corner. Make a row of slots and pass a ribbon, paper or a pen. Fold layers of paper together several times, then punch to add a nail or seam. Use origami techniques in your project, folding paper flaps and tucking them under other layers of paper. Crimping the papers together with a crimping tool. Re-investigate the stationery store to find paper binding tools that don’t use staples, cleverly cutting and crimping metal-free papers.

5. Magnets

Using magnets on a metal table or to hold items in place can create an interactive screen. Using a magnet to hold a small journal book in your design means people can take it off the page, read it, and put it back in place. (Use another magnet on the back of the page.) Make paper pins that can be used for special occasions and use magnets to allow people to use them on their clothing (check that no one has a pacemaker before allowing them to use a magnetic pin or it could interfere with the mechanism).

6. Velcro

Use Velcro to close your tag albums, make fun children’s books with items that can be removed and put back on the page at will. Sew velcro to your page or element to keep it in place. Use velcro to close a small paper box. Use it to make paper pins that can be used on clothing, instead of using magnets.

7. Wax sealer

Before they made glues and ribbons in abundance, people sealed paper envelopes and rolls with wax. There were special stamps and signet rings to press in hot wax to make a decorative or informational pattern before the wax cooled. Try using sealing wax to make a special paper project. Use the wax to seal wedding invitations, for example. You can also use it on your cards or scrapbook pages to keep little items in place.

And there you have it: seven ways to adhere to paper without the use of glue or tape! There are other ways to make cards, designs, and off-page projects without the use of tape and glue. I encourage you to challenge yourself to find new ways to make paper and share your ideas with me if you know if there is another way or two to do things without adhesives.