Fold your way to the loveliest winter star—use what you already have at home
A striking layered star is made by folding and gluing different types of paper. Follow the step-by-step photos, then enjoy some glögi and gingerbread cookies while you dive into star-making!
Layered star—materials:
- Baking paper, two pieces measuring 38 cm × 90 cm (about 15 in × 35 in)
- Brown kraft paper, two pieces measuring 30 cm × 40 cm (about 12 in × 16 in) (for instance, packaging paper or protective paper from a hardware store)
- Cardstock, two pieces measuring 21 cm × 35 cm (about 8 in × 14 in)
- Some hanging string or ribbon about 3 m (about 10 ft) long (or depending on how high you want to hang it)
- A ruler
- Scissors
- A hot glue gun and 5 glue sticks
You can use any paper you’ve got at home for this star: scraps of paper bags, gift wrap or tissue paper, leftover wallpaper, or newspaper.
How to make the layered star
Step-by-step photos:
1. Cut six total sheets of baking paper, kraft paper, and cardstock in the sizes listed above. Take one sheet and fold it into an accordion, making a fold every 5 cm (about 2 in). Use a ruler for the first fold, then line up subsequent folds to match. Keep the spacing consistent by using the first fold as a guide.
2. Unfold the sheet, then fold it again into a tighter accordion. Fold each 5 cm (about 2 in) strip into three equally wide segments. Start so that the first of these smaller folds mirror the direction of the first large fold, then alternate. Continue folding right to the edge.
3. Unfold the paper again, and refold it along the original (5 cm or about 2 in) accordion lines.
4. Fold this wide accordion bundle in half lengthwise. Trim the open end of the bundle into triangular tips.
5. Unfold the sheet once more, then fold it back down into a narrow accordion. Your first piece is ready! Repeat steps 1–4 with the remaining five sheets.
6. Next, shape and glue each star piece. First, tie a string tightly around the center fold of each bundle, trimming any extra length.
7. Fan each accordion bundle open, then glue its open edges together. Keep the string at the center to form a star.
8. Generously apply hot glue to the centers of the large baking-paper stars. Place the medium kraft-paper stars on top of that glue spot. Then add glue to the centers of the kraft stars and place the smaller stars on top. Use about one glue stick per layer to prevent the layers from coming apart.
9. Glue the two layered halves together with plenty of hot glue, and let them dry for a moment. Loop your hanging string between the large star layers, tie securely, and form a slipknot on the free end. Hang your star wherever you like.
Once you get the hang of the folds, you can also make smaller, single-layer stars using the same technique.
Don’t have a hot glue gun?
You can also attach each accordion bundle with a stapler or paper glue. If you’d like to secure the layers with string:
- When stapling or gluing the accordion bundles into stars, leave small gaps on both sides of the center so you can thread a string through.
- Cut two pieces of string about 20–30 cm (about 8–12 in) long. Thread one piece through a large needle.
- Stack three stars of different sizes, smallest on top. Guide the needle and string through the gap near the centers, from the back of the largest star to the front of the smallest, then turn it around and go back through the other gaps to the largest star’s back.
- Repeat with the second piece of string on the other stack, tie tightly, and trim any excess.
