Snowflake Tutorial

While most of the country (and many others) have been getting record amounts of snow, I have to settle snow of the paper variety here in the Northwest.  I get a little jealous--never thought I'd miss the snow! So we make our own.

I have been decorating with snowflakes at Christmas for years.  They are simple, beautiful, and white. . . and sometimes silver in my house.  This year I tried something different.  I made a snowflake design I had used in past years, but put a twist on it by making it out of a vintage dictionary.

Now that the kids are out of school for winter break, I am trying to come up with things to do--you might be too.  So I am posting this tutorial so you can make your own vintage looking snowflake, or so you can keep your kids busy making a Christmas craft.  To make it simply, you can just use strips of paper like I have done with my girls, or you can follow the directions below to make something a little sturdier, and more unique--like snowflakes should be.

You will need:

a book (mine was 8.5 X 11 but any size is fine)
scissors
glue sticks (Elmers or a brand the will stick really well--the cheap ones don't work)
8 or so paperclips

1. Start with pages cut from an old book--cutting pages out is super easy with one of those wrapping paper cutters.  Mine was an old dictionary (I love dictionaries, and it did make me a little sad to cut is up).  I purchased it for almost nothing at the Goodwill.

2.  Next, fold the page in half (the top down to the bottom) and then in half again, and then again.

3.  Then cut along the fold while still folded.  Now you will have a lot of about 2.5 inch pieces by about 8 inches (depending on the size of the book--bigger books will make bigger snowflakes, but any size will work).  The end pieces will be half pieces, but they will still work.

4.  Then start gluing and folding.  Glue down the length of each strip and fold the edges to the middle. . .

5.  Then glue down the middle again and fold in half. Then glue the middle fold in half again.

For the half pieces, glue two together, on atop the other, then fold the same as the rest, only you fold the sides in once then in half.

You will need 12 strips like these for each snowflake.

6.  Glue two together in their centers like a cross.

7.  Add two to each side opposite of the center one.

8.  Add two to the other strip, opposite of the center, and weave through the perpendicular stripes.

At this point I put that side in the middle of the book to press while I make the other side.  Repeat steps 6 - 8 so you will have  two halves:

After they have dried a little (5 - 10 minutes at most) but are still moist and pliable, gently curve the two outside strips to each side of the snow flake.  Then take an outside strip from to bottom leg of the cross and the right leg and curve the under and out.  Glue tips together and put a paperclip on it to hold it while you repeat the other four corners.

It should look like this when done:

Set aside and repeat with the other half.  While you are allowing the glue to dry a little under the paperclips, gently curve the remaining straight strip of each side.

Then lay one side atop the other, but shifted so each straight single portion lines up with a curved double section--like this:

Attach with glue the single strip under the loop of the double strip on the opposite side (remove the paper clip long enough to glue and attach, then re-paperclip)  Now repeat on each of the eight loops (four for each side.

When you are done it will look like this:

Leave the paper clips on long enough to dry and then you are done!  Unless you want to sparkle it up like I did.  I used simple white Elmer's glue in a bottle to add some silver German Glass Glitter to each
 loop.  You can also take half strips and curve them to make loops and attach them to each point for another variety of snowflake:

Enjoy! Happy Paper Crafting!