As a native New Yorker, I hold the hope of a white Christmas near and dear to my heart (especially because I am huge fan of the holidays in general.) But as a resident New Yorker, I also know that the chances of having one are usually pretty slim. I guess I should appreciate that for the fact that it makes a white Christmas a special affair. But the truth is, I just want to wake up Christmas morning to the prospect of attacking Husband with snowballs.
My backup plan for the elusive white Christmas? Handmade paper snowflakes! Homemade snowflakes are definitely one of my all time favorite seasonal crafts, because they’re so versatile. You can use the cheapest of construction paper or the glossiest of professional mattes, set up a glitter-tastic play station for the kids in your family to participate or make it a surprisingly artistic adult endeavor. However you slice it (does that even work as a pun?) paper snowflakes are a must on my holiday to-do list. C’mon, we all love snow deep down!
So here’s a visual set of instructions on how to set up your paper to start cutting out snowflakes. I nabbed this picture offline, because let’s face it, my written instructions were definitely not going to be coherent enough. Sorry guys – I am like, the least competent writer ever when it comes to instructions.
Not so hard to get started based on the above, right. now I know I didn’t create that handy visual chart, and I can’t volunteer a better one! But what I can offer, in leu of my own written instructions, are some helpful tips for making your snowflakes. Hopefully they’ll save you some time! (And headaches. And sheets of paper, of which I have wasted many in an effort to perfect my flake-making.)
- Make sure your paper is square, not almost square. And I know there are templates you can use that start out with a round piece of paper, but honestly – how much easier is it to make a paper square than a paper circle?
- Crease like a woman with a mission. I do not care for half-hearted creases, people! They make it really hard to cut the design into the folded paper, so even if you have to use a flat-edged tool, save yourself the aggravation and crease well.
- Don’t be afraid to combine curves and straight lines, ovals and triangles. When it comes to design, the more creative the better obviously! But don’t feel like you need to stick to just triangles or just curves when you’re cutting – those are great, but they tend to be so visually repetitive that the design feels amateur. Combine different shapes, contours and patterns to get some seriously stunning and professional looking flakes.
- Paper snowflakes aren’t the only option. You can use these techniques with cardboard, fabrics and more! Get creative (and resourceful!) with the materials you use. Got a bunch of old magazines lying around? Um, hello snowflakes! Old takeout menus, cards or catalogues make for some awesomely resourceful snowflakes that can give the decor a homemade, quirky feel instantly. And don’t even get me started on the savings factor!
Hubs is so sweet – he wanted snow, so I set up this winter picnic in our bedroom.