Project

Paper Stars

Photography: Reed Davis

Source: Martha Stewart Living, December 2001

Introduction

Stars made from folded paper are so easy to create that within a half hour you can have enough on hand to adorn all of your presents, string into garlands, or decorate a tree. Employ them in one corner of a room or use them to establish a unified decorative theme throughout the whole house.

Each star is made by folding and cutting a single square of paper of any size. Until you master the techniques, practice by making four or five-pointed stars from scraps; wrapping-paper remnants are ideal. If you're unhappy with a star, refold it and cut it again at a different angle. Fashion translucent shapes from waxed paper, glassine, or tissue; for sturdier, opaque stars, use construction paper.

The more points a star has, the more folds you will need to make, so keep the thickness of the stock in mind before you start. Leave the finished shapes plain or dab glue on them and sprinkle with gold, silver, blue, red, or green glitter -- or any combination that strikes your fancy. The sky's the limit.

materials

Scissors

Decorative paper

steps

Fold a square of paper in half to form a rectangle, and place it on your work surface so that the crease is at the top and the open end is at the bottom.
Fold the two top corners down and toward the center to form a triangle.
Take the left corner and fold it over so it meets the right corner; this makes a smaller triangle.
With a pair of sharp scissors, cut down diagonally from the right edge of the triangle to just below the midpoint on the left edge. Unfold.
Start with the folded rectangle.
Bring the upper-right corner down to a point on the left edge of the rectangle, about one-third of the way from the lower-left corner.
Bring the top-left corner down and to the right. (The top of the paper will now look like a triangle bisected by a vertical line.)
Using the topmost point for reference, fold the paper in half vertically. Cut from the right edge of the shape down to the midpoint on the left edge. Unfold.
Start with the folded rectangle.
Bring the upper-right corner down to a point on the bottom edge of the rectangle, about one-quarter of the way from the lower-left corner.
Bring the upper-left corner down and to the right so that the top edge of the shape meets the right edge.
Using the topmost point for reference, fold the paper in half vertically. Cut diagonally from the right edge of the shape down to about the midpoint on the left edge. Unfold.
Start with the folded rectangle.
Bring upper-right corner down to the left edge of the rectangle, about one-quarter of the way from the lower-left corner.
Bring the upper-left corner down and to the right so that the top edge of the shape meets, but does not overlap, diagonal line made in step two.
Fold left side down.
Using the topmost point for reference, fold left side in to make a vertical line bisecting the shape.
Fold paper in half vertically. Cut diagonally from the right edge down to about the midpoint on left edge; unfold.
Start with the folded rectangle.
Bring upper-right corner down to the left edge of the rectangle about one-half of the way from the lower left corner.
Bring the top-left corner down and to the right so it overlaps the right part of the shape.
Bring the left edge down and to the right until it meets diagonal line created in step three.
Using the topmost point for reference, fold left side in to create a vertical line bisecting the shape.
Fold in half vertically. Cut diagonally from right edge down to about the midpoint on the left edge. Unfold.