Printable Patriotic Paper Chain Garland

This post for a Paper Chain Garland contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

The fourth of July is sneaking up on us...and my mantel is red, white, and ready for it. I created a (free) printable Patriotic Paper Chain Garland to add some extra interest...and it's available for you to download below and use in your own patriotic decor. Because who doesn't love a good paper chain garland, right?

We're heading straight back to elementary school craft class with today's paper chain garland printable (does anyone else remember making these for the holiday classroom decor?). I've truly always wanted to create a printable patterned paper chain and the fourth of July season seemed like the perfect opportunity. You can download this one below.

AND...it's Thrifty Style Team day! We all created patriotic projects this time around and there is sooooo much inspiration. I left all of the links to my friends' pages at the bottom of this post. 

Patriotic Paper Chain Garland

Seriously, not much beats an old-fashioned paper chain garland. But, instead of that faded construction paper chain looped around your second grade teacher's classroom, this one is full of patterns and pizzazz. I built each patterned strip into its own section to prevent ink and paper waste, too.

Attaching My Garland

• I used those same bull dog clip push pins to attach these to my mantel (I shared them last month on my bulletin board when I posted Five Ways to Display Printables). 
• But, you could also tie a string through the ends of your paper chain and tie them to Command Strips or even nails that are on your mantel. 

But, I will say that the clip push pins (found here on Amazon) were really easy and kind of fun to use in this manner. It made centering all of my different garlands easy since I just moved the push pins around.

Other Patriotic Mantel Decor

To keep the budget in line, I mostly just used items I had on hand for the mantel:

• Besides my paper chain garland, I used all of the existing blue and white pieces that were already on this mantel (you can see how I had it previously styled in this Instagram post here).
• My two Staffordshire dogs switched to red bows.
• I had lots of flags already on hand (I grab mine at our local farm supply store...they always have them at this time of the year for good prices). If you need flags, I did find a good assortment here on Amazon.
• I added red candles to my candlesticks (they're actually from my Christmas candle stash).
• And the above Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue free printable that I posted earlier this week kind of ties everything together. I found this fun blue and white frame for it (in the 5x7" size) here on Amazon.

I'm really happy with how the fourth of July mantel came together this year. I may have to create a paper chain for every holiday.

Putting Together the Paper Chain Garland

Supplies for Your Paper Chain Garland:

• free paper chain printables (linked below)
• I played around with this, but found that white, letter-sized cardstock works best. Regular paper couldn't take the weight of a longish paper chain and the loops all flattened and looked kind of sad. Grab a pack of white, letter-sized cardstock here on Amazon.
• paper cutter or scissors (I like to use my trusty Fiskars Paper Trimmer, pictured above)
• stapler (or glue, if you don't want your staples to show)
• staples

Paper Chain Directions:

• Start by cutting your strips apart. 
• I found it helpful to keep the unprinted end of the paper intact (see above) to hold onto as I cut my strips.
• If you're unsure of how many strips you'll need for the length of garland you desire, see my ruler photo a couple of pictures below.

• Make a strip into a circle and staple the ends together.
• Just keep repeating the process and adding strips to the end of your chain. 
• Personally, I try to make a pattern, but have fun with it!

• To give you a length estimate, roughly seven strips create a 12" foot. 
• There are ten strips per printable page. 
• Feel free to print as many as you like for the length you desire.

Download Your Paper Chain Garland Printables:

Below, you can see how I organized this paper chain garland printable into two pages. Both patterns are included on both pages, however, there are two extra gingham patterns on page one (below left) and two extra dots and stars patterns on page two (below right).

• Download Paper Chain Garland Page One
• Download Paper Chain Garland Page Two
• Or, download both pages here on Dropbox
• Or, download both pages here on Google Drive

Where would you put a paper chain garland this holiday season?

Below, all of my super talented friends have shared their wonderful (and thrifty) patriotic ideas, too! Be sure to check them all out. 

Doesn't everything from my friends look so fun and festive? See all of these Thrifty Style Team Patriotic Decor projects below:

• Redhead Can Decorate - 12 Affordable Patriotic Home Decorating Ideas
• The Painted Hinge - Patriotic Centerpiece using Thrifted Finds
• DIY Beautify - How to Decorate a Patriotic Cottage Table
• 2 Bees In A Pod - Easy Patriotic Pinwheel Wreath
• The How To Home - Easy and Inexpensive 4th of July Centerpiece
• The Tattered Pew - How To Repurpose A Vintage Soda Crate For Your Yard
• Sweet Pea - 16 Patriotic Home Decor and Craft Ideas
• What Meegan Makes - DIY Framed Patriotic Wreath Tutorial
• Cottage At The Crossroads - Patriotic Mini Easel Place Cards
• Lora B. Create & Ponder - DIY Lake Themed Patriotic Wreath
• Our Crafty Mom - 10 Patriotic Home Decor Ideas
• Chas’ Crazy Creations - Easy Patriotic Summer DIYs
• Cottage On Bunker Hill - DIY Patriotic Wood Crate Planter
• Vinyet Etc - Happy Canada Day - Vintage Potting Bench
• Postcards From The Ridge - Patriotic Tablescape with Vintage Thrift Store Dishes