We used colourful candy wrappers from hard candies to make dozens of miniature cranes one year and then put them on the Christmas tree.

My college used to print a weekly student bulletin on coloured sheets of legal paper. I used to tear the paper into squares, one big one and the others getting smaller and smaller and make a set of them every week.

Origami paper is really lovely but it is also fun to use the paper at hand and make them where ever you have to sit and wait for a few minutes.