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A group of homemade paper snowflakes on a counter with a pair of scissors

How to Make Paper Snowflakes (and How to Use Them)

Last Modified: December 16, 2019 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // December 13, 2019 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

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Decorate the house or make other fun holiday projects with these simple paper snowflakes. Learn how easy it is to make this classic holiday project and how to use the paper snowflakes in fun new ways. #papersnowflakes #christmascrafts #holidaydecor #christmasdecor
Decorate the house or make other fun holiday projects with these simple paper snowflakes. Learn how easy it is to make this classic holiday project and how to use the paper snowflakes in fun new ways. #papersnowflakes #christmascrafts #holidaydecor #christmasdecor
Decorate the house or make other fun holiday projects with these simple paper snowflakes. Learn how easy it is to make this classic holiday project and how to use the paper snowflakes in fun new ways. #papersnowflakes #christmascrafts #holidaydecor #christmasdecor

Decorate the house or make other fun projects with these simple paper snowflakes. Learn how easy it is to make this classic holiday project and how to use paper snowflakes in fun new ways.

two round paper snowflakes with hearts in a mandala type shape on a wooden background.
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Table of contents

  1. Materials to Use
    1. Making an 8-Pointed Snowflake
      1. Making a 6-Pointed Snowflake
        1. How to Cut the Paper Snowflakes
          1. How to Use Paper Snowflakes

            Materials to Use

            • Coffee filters
            • Tissue Paper
            • Newspaper
            • Wrapping paper
            • Copy Paper
            • Freezer Paper

            For perfectly white snowflakes, regular copy paper is probably the most obvious choice for making paper snowflakes, but there are times that you may prefer to use other types of paper instead.

            Coffee filters and tissue paper are thinner than copy paper, making them easier to cut. The shape of coffee filters makes them perfect for making quick and easy snowflakes with younger children. On the other hand, tissue paper makes for more delicate snowflakes that may rip more easily.

            Newspaper and wrapping paper come in a larger format meaning that you can make larger snowflakes when choosing them. Plus, it’s fun to recycle used newspapers and wrapping paper for a new project like this one.

            Freezer paper has a wonderful property that not everybody is aware of. It can be ironed onto cloth and then easily peeled away later. That makes it great for using as a stencil for painting cloth. (More details on using freezer paper to paint snowflakes below)

            • Two pieces of paper that have been folded and cut in preparation for making into paper snowflakes, the one on the left is for making a 6 pointed snowflake and the one on the right for 8 pointed snowflakes

            Making an 8-Pointed Snowflake

            When I was a kid, I used to make 8-pointed snowflakes. They are the easiest to fold because all you do is fold the paper in half several times. There is no calculation of trying to line things up.

            On the other hand, the extra paper layers make for a thicker stack of papers to cut. That makes it slightly more difficult for kids to cut out 8-pointed snowflakes.

            1. Take a piece of paper and fold it in half across the length of the paper. (Bring together the two sides of your rectangle that are furthest away from each other.)

            • A white piece of paper on a wooden background.
            • A white piece of paper folded in half on a wooden background.

            Fold that in half again, bringing the two sides of your rectangle that are furthest away from each other together just like you did the first time. (Turn clockwise and then fold across again in the same direction as before.)

            It should now look like this…

            A white piece of paper folded in half twice on a wooden background.

            Keeping the center point of the paper as a reference (I marked it with an arrow), you are going to fold diagonally over the center point, lining up the folded edges of the paper.

            A piece of paper that has been folded in half twice and then marked in the center point with an arrow for further folding for a paper snowflake.

            Now, you just need to make one more diagonal fold, once again over the center point (and lining up the edges). The center point, from which the folds emerge, will become the center of the snowflake.

            A piece of paper that has been folded several times and then marked in the center point with an arrow.

            You will now have something that looks like this…
            (I flipped the direction of the fold so that I could see the shorter layers on the outside of the paper.)

            Paper that has been folded for cutting out paper snowflakes with a line drawn where the paper will be cut.

            Cut across the side opposite the center point to even everything out. Doing this correctly will ensure that the paper snowflake is even on all sides.

            To keep things completely symmetrical, make sure your cut includes ALL of the layers, otherwise, you’ll be left with some areas of the snowflake that are narrower than others.

            In the photo, I marked across the shortest point of folded paper. I’ll be cutting across the edges of the paper right under the marked line, ending up with a basic triangle. Once you cut, the upper piece can be removed and is no longer needed.

            In the photos below, I cut a v-shape into the top. When unfolded, this is the general shape of the snowflake (before any other cuts have been made). Note that because of the v-cut, the shape has 8 main points and 8 smaller points. (A straight cut would have given a more rounded octagon with 8 main points.)

            • Cutting a v-shape into the outside edge…
            • unfolds into 8 main points and 8 smaller points between them.

            Making a 6-Pointed Snowflake

            Purists prefer to make 6 pointed snowflakes because that is how snowflakes are seen in nature. While it may be slightly trickier to fold the paper to make 6-pointed snowflakes, once you’ve folded it, it’s easier to cut than the 8-point variety.

            To make a 6 point snowflake, begin in the same way as you did before. Fold the paper in half lengthwise, turn, and then fold in half lengthwise again.

            This time, though, rather than folding in half diagonally twice, we need to divide the rectangle into 3 equal parts. Think of this as a circular clock rather than a rectangle with the center point being the center of the clock.

            Now think of the long edge being the line up to 12 o’clock and the short edge being the line to 3 o’clock. Ideally, we want to make folds along the imaginary lines leading to 1 and 2 o’clock.

            The idea is to fold the paper in such a way that when folded along those lines, the edges of the paper will line up along the folds and edges perfectly. (Take a look at the photos below to better understand how it folds together in thirds.)

            Like before, cut off the excess paper, making sure to not leave any stray edges shorter than the rest. If I had cut directly across the line, it would have 6 points. I ended up cutting a v-shape into the cut edge which resulted in 6 main points and 6 shorter ones between those.

            A piece of paper that has been folded and cut and ready for making into a paper snowflake.

            How to Cut the Paper Snowflakes

            Once you’ve folded the paper and have cut off the excess, you can begin to cut a design into your paper snowflakes. You can cut random shapes, and the only real rule is that you have to leave little “bridges” of paper between your cuts along the edges so that the paper doesn’t fall apart.

            If you cut deep v-shapes into the middle top fo the triangle, you’ll end up with longer “legs” on your snowflake and will end up with twice as many of them.

            Here are some ideas of ways that you can cut your snowflake.

            a diagram showing different ways to cut paper for making snowflakes

            When cutting wedges of paper from the edges, try not to cut too far. You can pull up on the cut piece of paper and twist it off.

            Once you have your design cut out, carefully unfold your snowflake.

            • A folded paper that has been cut for making a paper snowflake, ready for unfolding
            • Several finished paper snowflakes next to one that is ready to be unfolded
            • Multiple paper snowflakes that have been cut out of paper

            How to Use Paper Snowflakes

            Decorating the House

            You don’t have to do anything too fancy with your paper snowflakes. They can be taped to windows and walls or can be hung to the tree using ribbons.

            You can also consider stringing them together to make either garlands or mobiles.

            • A paper snowflake hanging on a Christmas tree with other ornaments
            • Two paper snowflakes strung together and hanging from a wall

            If you want to fancy them up, try making glitter-covered snowflake ornaments with them.

            Painting Snowflakes on Fabric

            On the other hand, if you make your paper snowflakes out of freezer paper, there are several fun projects that you can make using them. Not only are these fun projects, but they can make even the least artistic person look like a crafting superstar.

            Snowflake Gift Pouches

            Great for giving away small gifts like homemade soap or homemade cinnamon ornaments, try making these beautiful gift pouches.

            For the snowflakes seen below, I only folded across diagonally once, giving fewer points to the star. I then cut a heavy v-shape into the top of the triangle.

            Painted snowflake pouches

            Paint these beautiful gift pouches with snowflake designs super easily using freezer paper. This project is great for kids and adults. Use either store-bought cotton bags or quickly make pouches by upcycling t-shirt sleeves.
            Check it out!
            Two homemade blue cloth gift pouches with painted snowflakes designs and embellished with rhinestones.

            Painting Mandalas

            When it’s no longer Christmas or cold outside, you can still use the concept of paper snowflakes to make a mandala design.

            Beautiful Fabric Painted Mandalas

            It's easier than you think to paint professional-looking, colorful geometric designs on fabric. If you can make a paper snowflake, you can paint a beautiful mandala design. This is a fun project for kids and adults alike.
            Check it out!
            A bag with a hand-painted mandala design on it
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            A group of homemade paper snowflakes on a counter with a pair of scissors

            How to Make Paper Snowflakes

            Making paper snowflakes is a fun and easy project that both kids and adults enjoy. It's always fun to see what beautiful design will magically appear when you open up your cut folded paper.
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            Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

            Equiment

            • Pair of scissors

            Materials

            • 1 piece paper

            Instructions

            • Take a piece of paper and fold it in half across the length of the paper. (Bring together the two sides of your rectangle that are furthest away from each other.)
              A white piece of paper folded in half on a wooden background.
            • Fold that in half again. Just like before, bring the two sides of your rectangle that are furthest away from each other together when folding in half.
              A white piece of paper folded in half on a wooden background.
            • Keeping the center point of the paper as a reference, fold diagonally over the center point, lining up the folded edges of the paper.
              A piece of paper that has been folded in half twice and then marked in the center point with an arrow for further folding for a paper snowflake.

            To Make an 8-Pointed Star

            • Make one more diagonal fold, once again over the center point (and lining up the edges). The center point, from which the folds emerge, will become the center of the snowflake.
              A piece of paper that has been folded several times and then marked in the center point with an arrow.

            To Make a 6-Pointed Snowflake

            • Rather than folding in half diagonally twice (as you would for the 8-pointed start), divide the rectangle into 3 equal parts. Think of it as a circular clock rather than a rectangle with the center point being the center of the clock.
              A rectangle that has been divided into thirds diagonally by folds from the center point
            • Now think of the long edge being the line up to 12 o’clock and the short edge being the line to 3 o’clock. Ideally, we want to make folds along the imaginary lines leading to 1 and 2 o’clock.
              Folding up one of the thirds of the rectangular piece of paper
            • The idea is to fold the paper in such a way that when folded along those lines, the edges of the paper will line up along the folds and edges perfectly. (Take a look at the photos below to better understand how it folds together in thirds.)
              Folding down the other third of the rectangular piece of paper, forming a triangular shape

            Cutting off the excess paper

            • Cut across the side opposite the center point to even everything out. Doing this correctly will ensure that the paper snowflake is even on all sides.
              To keep things completely symmetrical, make sure your cut includes ALL of the layers, otherwise, you’ll be left with some areas of the snowflake that are narrower than others.
              Once you cut, the upper piece can be removed and is no longer needed.
              A piece of paper that has been cut for a paper snowflake. Lines have been drawn where the cuts will go.

            How to Cut the Snowflakes

            • Once you’ve folded the paper and have cut off the excess, you can begin to cut a design into your paper snowflakes.
              To do so, cut random shapes from the edges of the paper. When doing so, make sure NOT to cut all the way across. It's also important to leave little “bridges” of paper between your cuts along the edges so that the paper doesn’t fall apart.
              A paper snowflake being cut out from a folded piece of paper.
            • If you cut deep v-shapes into the middle top fo the triangle, you’ll end up with longer “legs” on your snowflake and will end up with twice as many of them.
              A paper snowflake made in the shape of a mandala with hearts and circles.

            Notes

            Chose whether you will be making a 6-pointed or 8-pointed snowflake. In either case, begin with the first instructions, followed by either the instructions for a 6-point or 8-point snowflake. Then, continue with the instructions for cutting off the excess paper.
            6-pointed snowflakes are how snowflakes are seen in nature. It may be slightly trickier to fold the paper to make 6-pointed snowflakes, but once you’ve folded it, it’s easier to cut than the 8-point variety because it has less layers of paper.
            Now, you can use your paper snowflakes to decorate your windows, walls, or Christmas tree. They cal also be strung together to make beautiful garlands.
            Tried making this? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
            Category: Arts & Crafts, Christmas

            About Tracy Ariza, DDS

            Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We’ll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

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