Things you will need6 evenly sized squares of paper - for that extra

sparkle try our range of James Cropper special-

ity papers. The size of your paper square can

vary from 4” to 10” (10cm - 25cm). The paper

should be of a good strength to hold up the

snowflake structure.

• Paper

• Scissors

• Tape

• Stapler

• Liquidglitter(optional)

• Glue

Learn how to do an origami Christmas snowflake

Steps

1Assemblethematerials. Refer to

“Things You’ll Need”, at the beginning

of this tutorial.

2

Foldeachofthe6piecesofpaper

inhalf,diagonally. If the paper you

are using does not make a perfect

triangle, cut off the rectangular edge that

sticks out and make it align perfectly.

3

Cut3linesoneachsideofthetri-

anglefromthefoldededge;make

surenottocutthroughtheunfold-

edpaperedges. The cut lines should be par-

allel to one another each side and come close

to meeting in the middle but not touching;

leave a small space between them. To make

this easier, you can fold the triangle in half.

This way you’ll cut both sides at once, making

a symmetrical snowflake. This might not be

suitable for thicker paper, since the number of

layers makes it difficult to cut through.

4

Unfoldyourpaperandturnitso

thatthediamondshapeisfacing

youforworkingwith.

5

Stillkeepingyourpaperdia-

mondside-up,rollthefirsttwo

innermostpaperlinestogether

toformatube.Tape these two pieces

together. You should see triangle shapes

on each side of the roll.

6

Turnthediamondovertothe

otherside. Take the next two

paper lines and pull them togeth-

er on the opposite side of the tube and

tape together as before. This will be a

more rounded shape and wider than the

first tube.

7

Keepturningthepaperand

joiningthepaperlinestogether

onoppositesideuntilallpaper

lineshavebeenjoined.

8

Repeatsteps3-7withthe

remaining5piecesofpaper.

You may also now cut the

paper en masse.

9

Join3ofthecompletedrolled

piecestogetheratoneendand

stapletogetherusingtheother

hand.Do the other 3 pieces the same way.

Now you will have 2 pieces consisting of 3

strands or “arms” each.

Staplethetwonewpieces

togetherinthemiddle.You are

almost done!

Lastly,staplewhereeachofthe

6armsmeet.This ensures that

the snowflake shape is pulled into

place. See illustration at top for the finished

snowflake.

Tips

Largersnowflakes: If you want larger

snowflakes, use larger paper. You will

probably need to cut more lines though;

work it out from how large your piece of

paper is. Don’t try enlarging your snow-

flakes until you are comfortable with the

method of making them with the suggested

paper size first.

Papercolourvariations: Experiment by

mixing different James Cropper Paper col-

our variations to match your home decor.

Decorationideas: If you want to “jazz up”

your snowflakes, put liquid glitter on the

snowflake along various parts of the paper

lines. Silver, gold, red or green are probably

the most suitable colours to use. Or you

could think of other additions; the author

tried tiny buttons and stick-on costume

gems one year and they looked exquisite.

Just remember though, that these do not

store very well (easily crushed) and you

might be throwing them out. Of course, you

can always pull off the additional decorated

pieces and keep for another time or craft.

Be patient. This is not a craft to be rushed

but it is easy to make if you proceed slowly

and carefully.

For extra special results, mirror two pieces

next to each other.

WARNINGS

Be patient when cutting the parallel lines,

so that you don’t over cut to the other

edges or accidentally cut into the line on

the opposite side; if this happens, start

again with a new piece of paper.

If you want a “perfect” snowflake, make

sure the lines you cut are identical for each

square.

Work slow and steady. Rushing could lead

to a ruined snowflake, or your hands being

cut up by scissors.