5 Ways to Use Paint Swatch Cards

If you've got a collection of paint swatch cards laying around the house from decorating past, don't throw them away just yet. We’ve gathered these simple DIY paint swatch ideas for creating something crafty and colourful for your home this Christmas.

1. Ombre Wreath

Cut your cards into small leaf-like shapes to cover a hanger and turn it into all shades of green or pick colours from the same colour family that'll vary from light tones to dark shades and match your Christmas decor.

What you'll need:

• Wire coat hanger

• 25 swatch cards of your colour choice (we've gone for traditional greens here!)

• Double sided tape

• Scissors

• Paint (a tester pot size is plenty)

• Paint brush

2. Signed, sealed, delivered

The gift tag is the icing on the present-wrapping cake, the star on the top of the Christmas tree. So get crafty with your own Christmas-inspired tags. Either use a Christmas Tree, or snowflake-shaped hole puncher or freestyle it (triangle and square, we can do that) onto the swatch card, cut around the shape and stick onto the tag.

What you'll need:

• Plain luggage tags

• Swatch cards

• String

• Glue

• Scissors

3. Creatures of Comfort

Create your own nativity scene made of paint swatches. You can download animal templates from Handmade Charlotte for your little ones and you to trace onto the swatches and create these foldable animal friends. Perfect for quickly assembling for impromptu play time.

You'll need:

• an assortment of colourful paint swatches

• craft scissors

• a pencil for tracing animal shapes

For a step-by-step guide head over to Handmade Charlotte.

4. Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

A snowflake punch and swatch cards in shades of grey is all it takes to create perfectly icicle shaped confetti. Sprinkle around the house/ Along the Christmas table/ In your cards for the full winter wonderland effect.

You'll need:

• Snowflake punch (like this one from Hobbycraft, (£4))

• Swatch cards

And voila. You'll be walking in a winter wonderland in record time.

5. Swing from the Chandeliers

You've sorted garlands and wreaths so why not add pizzazz to your ceiling too?

What you'll need:

• Wooden Knitting ring

• Assorted paint swatch samples in your chosen Christmas colours

• Spray adhesive

• Circle punch

• Sewing machine

• Tape

For a step-by-step guide head over to Kirtsy.com.

Looking for more clever DIY ideas to do with things laying around the house? Read 4 New Uses for Old Things to see what to do with everything from old tyres to can tops.