These stars are made from colored wax paper, commonly used for making paper kites. When hung in a window, the light shines through the layers of colored paper with a stained glass effect. Spread some joy by following these simple steps.
Steps
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Cut the paper into rectangles or squares. The more precisely the paper is cut and folded; the more accurate the angles of the design are when you are done. A good size for a rectangle is 1.5"x3.5" and for a square about 3.5"x3.5".
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For an eight pointed star, use eight rectangle pieces of paper. Fold each piece of paper as follows:
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Fold it exactly in half lengthwise (along the long axis). Unfold. You will use the crease as a guide for the remaining folds.
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On one short end, fold each corner so that the short edge lines up with the center crease. You will end up with a square point on that end of the rectangle. Repeatat the other end of the rectangle.
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On one end, fold each creased edge to the center one more time. Kind of like when you're folding a paper airplane.
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You will end up with a single, square point on one end of the rectangle and a double-folded, narrower point at the other end. Once you have all eight pieces of paper folded, layer them side-by-side in a circle, with the square points all matched up in the very center. The folded edge of each square point will line up with the center crease of the point next to it. Use a glue stick to glue the points together. You may also want to glue your final folds down so they don't pop open.
Tips
- Use your imagination and try different folding patterns to make points.
- Layer points more closely or further apart for different sized stars and different patterns. Square pieces of paper make different sized points also.
- Hang your star in a window where the light can shine through it. The pattern of lines that the folds make, are often just as pretty as the colors and the way they mix!
- Crease your folds sharply and make them as exact as possible.
- Kite paper can be found in some hobby shops and online. It comes in many different colors and is much sturdier than tissue paper.
