Paper Snowflake Tut

I frequently get bitten by a creative bug... this time it is cutting paper snowflakes. Remember doing this as a child? I do and I loved it! I saw one pin on Pinterest that became my muse. I did some Google searches and found more sites that taught *how-to* and gave design ideas. (Go HERE if you want to see them)

How could you NOT love a fun and inexpensive craft like this?  This is my second paisley designed snowflake (read on to find out what happened to the first one)



So here we go... you'll need a few simple tools: You must have scissors, pencil and paper! Optional- an exacto-knife, paper cutter, eraser, a little trash can and cutting mat.



Start by folding a corner of an 8.5" x 11" piece of white paper diagonally to the edge so you have a triangle with an extra strip down one end. I just use cheap copy paper.

EDIT- This link is included in the previous group above, but I just tried Tom's way of folding the paper and like it better than the one shown here. Take a look HERE.



Cut off that extra strip.  Scissors work just fine, but I have my handy-dandy paper cutter that I like to use.  (You can cut a bunch of paper in 8.5" squares if you want to speed up the process)



Now fold that big triangle in half again.



Now here is the important step... we want to make 6-pointed snowflakes, just like nature. To do this you have to make the next fold at a 30 degree angle (one third of 90 degrees). I figured out with my quilting ruler that on this size square that 30 degrees is just a titch over 3" from the double folded side.  Make a little pencil mark at 3".



My paper cutter has two blade, a cutting blade and a scoring blade, so I used the scoring blade to score the line. You don't have to do this (or you can do it with a ruler and a stylus). I find that it is easier for me to make straight folds this way... but I do tend to be a bit picky. You can just wing it and fold it without scoring.



Fold along the scored line from the point to the mark.



Open the side you just folded in and fold the other side into the fold line. (I scored this one too)



Trim off the extra points.



Now you are ready to draw on your design... or just start cutting. Be sure to leave some of the folded edges intact. Remember you have to have a continuous line to keep all of your snowflake together. (I learned the hard way!) Now comes the fun! Start cutting. What kind of scissors you use is totally personal preference.



Now this is the tricky part- carefully cut out your design. This is quite easy and straight forward if you don't have any inside cuts. I use a hole punch or an exacto-knife to get a start on these inside cuts. I find that sometimes it is easier to open the layers and only cut a couple at a time.  Do whatever works for you.



Oh, but be so careful if you use a knife! Don't be like me and bleed on your snowflake.



When you've finished your cutting (you'll notice I make changes as I cut) you can gently erase your pencil marks. But be so careful. If you make light marks they hardly show up on the finished snowflake.



And again with the carefully... unfold your finished snowflake carefully, frequently the cutting sticks the edges together. Ta-da!



I can't like all of the folds so I iron my snowflakes. Use a dry, hot iron. Don't slide the iron, pick it up and move it to a new area. Sliding will rip your creation.



Now go tape your beautiful snowflake on the window! But if you want to take the screen off of the window DO IT BEFORE YOU TAPE ON YOUR SNOWFLAKES! (You don't want to open the window if you have snowflakes on the dead pane).

This is what is left of my first paisley snowflake and its star-studded friend. Don't be like me... sniff...