24 Days of Christmas: December 1 – paper and foil stars

 

I learned to make these four-pointed stars in Germany back in the ‘70s. You could find lovely foil sheets in most of the department stores there, but these can also be made with ordinary paper (I used printer paper) or even cardstock, though you’d need to use a ruler and pen on the back to pre-crease the folds in that case. 

Take a square piece of paper and crease it horizontally, vertically, and on both diagonals. I’ve drawn the lines on the back of the yellow square to show where the creases go. The white one is folded on the diagonal and you can see the crease marks from the horizontal and vertical folds on it.

Cut halfway into the centre on the horizontal and vertical folds only (the dashed lines in the previous photo). Fold the cut pieces in to meet the diagonal crease, forming a point.

Continue folding the cut pieces in until you have four points. This is the back of your star.

Secure each point with a piece of tape.

Flip the star face up. Push in lightly on the corners to plump it up.

For a double-sided star, put two together, backs facing each other. Or you can stack and rotate stars as in my title photo for a more colourful, less plain vanilla effect.

 

I’m adding a few links for other types of stars you can make. They use aluminium foil (ooh, shiny!) which can be hard on scissors, so don’t use a pair you really care about. The first two, like my four-pointers, could be a family craft. The last one is more sophisticated and requires a glue gun, so probably not suited for the younger set.

https://www.ourkidthings.com/aluminum-foil-stars-craft/

 

https://www.diythought.com/foil-art-stars/

 

https://youtu.be/TaOOn35JHJY