How to make marble-effect paper chains
Deck the halls at Christmas with DIY marble-effect paper chains. These elegant chains are dyed with a surprise ingredient: pickled beetroot.
Decorate your home with more simple but effective ideas with our top 10 DIY Christmas crafts and let the kids show their creative flair with our top 10 Christmas crafts for kids.
For this craft you will need:
- a few sheets of thick paper (any size will do)
- liquid from a jar of pickled beetroot
- paint brush
- stapler or glue
Makes 1 large chain
Step 1: Preparing the Base
Lay a sheet of paper (it should be thick, but not as thick as card) in a baking tray. Tip the pickling liquid from the beetroot jar into a jug, then fill a separate jug with water.
Step 2: Creating the Marbled Effect
Use a paint brush to alternately swirl the water and pickling liquid over the paper for a marbled effect, trying not to saturate it too heavily. You can achieve more intense colour by using pure beetroot juice and an occasional dot of water to diffuse it. Transfer the paper to a wire rack and leave to dry overnight. Once dry, you can repeat the process, which will intensify the colour.
Step 3: Assembling the Paper Chain
Cut the marbled paper into 3 x 20cm strips. Form one strip into a ring, staple or glue to secure, then thread another strip through the ring, bring its ends together and secure it. Repeat until you have a long paper chain.
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