1. Cut 4-inch squares and rectangles from several coordinating papers and arrange the pieces into a pleasing collage. When you have the final arrangement, glue everything to white acid-free matboard. You can mat and frame your design as colorful and inexpensive artwork.

2. Wrap a clear glass vase with paper bands to match the blooms. Tape or glue the ends securely. This technique will work with any square, rectangular, or tall cylindrical vase.

3. Look for papers with meaningful words or phrases. For example, cut out a greeting such as "Welcome" to hang it over an entry mirror, or use "together forever" as a title block for a photo album or scrapbook.

4. Cover acid-free matboard and use as a colorful mat for existing artwork. Or try the technique in #1, using a collage of paper patterns glued to a picture's mat.

5. Cover books in papers to give a bookcase a brand-new look. For many books, try using coordinating patterns -- florals, stripes, geometrics, and mini-prints -- and use these on various categories of books (travel, cookbooks, reference, etc.).

 

6. Use decorative paper to make personalized greeting cards of any size or shape. You can even use shapes of coordinating papers to decorate a blank card from the craft store.

7. Snip 3-inch-wide bands of paper and roll them into party napkin rings. Or try decoupaging or gluing decorative papers to sections of cardboard tubing (such as paper toweling tubes) to use for more durable napkin rings.

8. Trace cookie-cutter shapes onto patterned papers, cut out, punch a hole in each top, and use as holiday tree ornaments or gift tags. Or glue pretty papers to card stock, then cut out the shapes for a sturdier version of this idea.

9. Use pretty papers under glass -- as a tray insert, underneath a glass tabletop, or between two sheets of glass sold as a picture frame in art stores.

10. Slice a piece of paper for a bookmark, add a grommet at the top, and thread a ribbon through.