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Paper snowflakes are so pretty and festive! And really easy to make, once you get the folding part down. Hang them from the ceiling, in a window, or on a mirror, or use them to decorate homemade Christmas cards, display them on a table around a winter centerpiece, or just cut a few for fun. A great project for kids as well, if they’re old enough to handle scissors or involve them with the folding and unfolding (it’s so fun to see what you get after the cutting is done!) and decorating.

Spend a few minutes experimenting with them to kill some spare time, or make an afternoon craft project out of it, either way making paper snowflakes is a great way to indulge your crafty side and get in touch with your inner child with your kids, or heck, cut one of out of a Post-It note at work the next time you’re feeling stressed and I bet you’ll feel a little better.

How to cut paper snowflakes

What you’ll need:

• Square of paper, any size or color (thinner paper is easier to cut)
• Sharp scissors

What to do:

1. Start with a square piece of paper the same size you want your finished snowflake to be
2. Fold it in half, corner to corner, to make a triangle
3. Fold it in half again, corner to corner, making a smaller triangle
4. Fold one corner across, as shown above in #4
5. Fold the other corner across, as shown above in #5
6. Use the scissors to cut straight across the top, removing the two points to make a triangle again
7. Cut out chunks of paper from all sides of the triangle, making sure to leave some folded edges intact so it has something to hold it together when you go to unfold it
8. Unfold it, carefully!
9. Leave plain white or decorate with glitter, sequins, etc.

Tips:

The more paper you cut out the “lacier” your snowflake will be, and the more of the tip you cut off (#7) the larger the center opening will be.

Press your flakes in a book overnight if they don’t want to lay flat right away.

Thicker paper makes sturdier snowflakes but thinner paper is much easier to cut.

Less is more when adding glitter, sequins, or other decor as they can weigh the paper down and cause your snowflakes to hang lopsided (vs crisp and flat).

Experiment by cutting out different shapes and patterns. The design I cut in #7 turned out to be the top right snowflake below.

There are lots of templates and patterns available online but in my opinion freehand is the most fun. Go wild! No two snowflakes are the same.