How to Make Paper Snowflakes

Cutting the Bills This Christmas

AKA Making Paper Snowflakes!

Now that we have reached the 12th of December, I really need to try and get the presents wrapped and the frugal Christmas tree set up and decorated.

 

I've been refreshing my memory on how to make paper snowflakes and found this really useful set of instructions but thought I would have a practice run and share a few extra photographs with my lovely readers here on the frugal blog. I'm using old invoices and scrap paper as part of our Frugal Forums 'Decius Frugalus' challenge of waste not, want not.

 

As you can see, the first thing you need to do is find a sharp pair of scissors and an old bill or invoice - make sure it's one that's been paid and no longer needs to be kept on file. Hopefully, my photos will be quite self explanatory.

Cutting bills this Christmas

Cut your sheet of paper into a square and then fold it corner to corner to form a right-angled triangle. Do this twice, so your square is quartered.

Make a square and then fold it in quarters

 With the right-angle at the bottom, fold the paper into a triangle one third the size of the first one by folding both outside edges inwards, as per my photo.

Fold your triangle into thirds

 It's difficult to put into words how to calculate exact thirds, so I won't even bother trying because I didn't measure anything, I simply folded the paper and guessed the sizes.

This is it folded into thirds

Once it's folded into what looks like a fox-faced 'pokey hat' with the thickest edge on the left, snip off the top to remove the excess paper.


Cut off the excess

The scraps can be shredded as paper stuffing or used in whatever other way you use your scrap paper. Mine gets stuffed into McGonks or else used in the fire, meaning it also contributes to the cooking and heating here in Frugaldom.

Snip randomly or create your own unique geometric design

Snip the very bottom corner off your triangle if you want a hole in the absolute centre of your snowflake. Now begin snipping random or geometric patterns on either size of your triangle, always making sure it remains intact without cutting right across the full width. The following is what unfolded from the above 'bill cutting' exercise.

Gently unfold your star creation

I'm sure most people will be able to find scrap paper lying about the house. You can use any type, just as long as you can cut it, and get as intricate as you like, without turning it into a paper doily.




Carefully unfold your snowflakes

Get creative and don't be scared to experiment. In nature, no two snowflakes are ever identical, so you will never run out of design ideas.

No end of designs you can make

Now you, too, can go and have fun cutting your bills and invoices this Christmas, then show off your creations on doors and walls. If they're for windows, perhaps best use plain white paper so visitors, passers-by, friends and neighbours can't see how little you've been spending.

 

Adult supervision advised when children are working with scissors.