When I saw these beautiful homemade paper Christmas ornaments I knew instantly that I had to find out how to make them for my tree this year. I spent a few days researching and planning how I could offer this as a tutorial. Here is the written step by step process for you. A video tutorial is also available at 3D Snowflakes or Stars Video.
Items needed to complete this project:
- A copy of the paper Christmas ornament pattern (DOWNLOAD PDF Paper Christmas Ornament Pattern)
- Straight edge (optional but recommended)
- Exacto knife
- Double sided or scotch tape
The first step in creating your paper Christmas ornament is to cut out each of the six squares from the pattern. Once you have the six individual squares of your paper Christmas ornament snowflake pattern cut apart, use your straight edge and cut on the lines of each square with the Exacto knife. Do this for all six squares.
Once all of the lines on the pattern have been followed using the Exacto knife, your pattern is ready to start curling.
Step three is curling the pattern. Start with the inside and smallest loose pieces of the pattern and curl them up toward each other. Then curl the next loose pieces in the opposite direction with their tips toward each other.
Keep curling the tips of each pair of pattern cut outs alternating the direction of the curls on sides of the pattern until you have a completed element. Repeat this on all six of the squares until you have all six elements completed.
The last step to creating these beautiful paper Christmas ornaments is to connect all of the individual elements at their tips.
Traditionally, you can add 5 elements together to create a star or six to create a snowflake. Use tape to secure the tips of the element together.
I found the easiest way to be able to create a symmetrical snowflake was to fold the tips and secure them together in somewhat of a pentagon or hexagonal shape in the middle. Doing this allowed me to easily complete a repeating pattern between the first and last elements that I was securing.
