I've always marvelled at people who can do origami. It seems like it should be so simple, it's just folding a piece of paper after all, but a few folds in and I’m completely bamboozled! I can make a mean paper aeroplane and a cute little boat but that's as far as it goes. So I was delighted to learn how easy these puffed up little origami stars are to make and add them to my paper skills portfolio!
The best bit is they can be made from anything from photocopy paper to wrapping paper and don't need any glue to hold them together.
You will need:
Scissors
Ruler
Paper
For the star hanging I made three sizes of star. For the largest (3.5cm wide) you will need a strip of paper 70cm x 3cm. For the medium star (2cm wide) 35 x 1.5cm and for a small star (1cm wide) cut a strip 29cm x 1 cm.
STEP 1 :
Cut a strip of paper to the desired length.
STEP 2 :
At one end, bend the strip of paper over to make a loop. Cross the short end under the long strip and feed the end through the loop to make a knot. The trick to making your star successful is to get this first knot tight and neat.
STEP 3 :
Turn the strip over and tuck the short piece into the knot making a neat end. If it seems too long
to tuck in you can trim a little bit off.
STEP 4 :
Now it is just a case of folding the long strip over, around the knotted end to make a pentagon shape. As you fold, bending it along each side of the pentagon, the paper strip will naturally fall into place around the shape. Keep the folds tight as you go.
STEP 5 :
When you reach the end of the strip tuck the end into the fold on the back of the pentagon shape as you did at the begining. Again, if it is a little long you can trim a piece off.
STEP 6 :
Now take the pentagon and hold it with a finger tip on each side as shown below. Gentle squeeze with even pressure on each side. The pentagon will 'puff' out as it is squeezed into a star. Turn the shape over and squeeze from the other side too until you have an even star shape.
There are so many things you can do with these little stars, they can be made into a wreath, strung together as a garland or simply scattered on a festive table.
I really hope you enjoyed this mini make. If you want to discover even more inspiring ideas, please subscribe to receive our monthly emails and discount codes!
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Katie xx