Tutorial: Super Simple Paper Stars

It's Black Friday and time for my annual tradition: to stay home all day and avoid the stores.

After cleaning up the dishes from yesterday's feast, here's something simple to make in order to add a festive decoration to highlight the season. Who doesn't like an easy to make paper star? As with all simple crafts, they usually look great in a cluster and this star is perfect for hanging with others of different sizes and colors. You likely have the material at home if you use recycled paper. And kids love to do them without much adult help. Here's how to make your own:

Materials:

- origami paper or other square paper (mine was approx. 6")
- pencil
- scissors
- glue
- string to hang hem

How to:

Just follow the directions in the picture tutorial below.

Turn the paper over and fold as in the picture below.





Mark with a pencil a little less from the border to the middle. Do it on all four sides.


Cut with scissors from the edge to your pencil mark on all four sides.



Glue every other side on the folded flaps.


Pull the unglued side over the glued side.

One side is ready, but you need one more to complete the star.
Repeat previous steps to make another star.




Glue as shown.


The glue is missing in this image, but this is the way to attach the 2 stars together.

And this is how it looks, when it's complete. Isn't that easy?

I like mine so much that I actually haven't taken them down from last year. If you use cheerful paper, they look good all year round.

Variations:

Make stars of different colors and sizes. Cut one sheet of origami paper in four squares and make 2 small stars.
Make an enormous star as a focal point from just white paper.
Use printed paper from magazines or newspapers.
Make a star mobile using small stars, twigs and thread.
Use paint or glitter glue.

Enjoy and explore.