Fan-Tastic Snowflakes

Total Time 1 hour Ages all-ages

Punch a bunch of these simple paper snowflakes, then hang them from your ceiling or fireplace mantel. For a truly frosted-looking flake, use parchment paper or vellum.

What you'll need

• 8 1/2 by 11-inch sheet of paper
• Stapler
• Scissors or pinking shears
• Hole punch
• Clear tape

How to make it:

1. Fold the paper lengthwise and cut it in half.

2. Starting at one short end, fanfold the paper in 1/2-inch folds. Staple the fan in the middle.

3. Use scissors or pinking shears to trim both ends, then hole-punch a design into the fan?s folds. When you are finished, unfold the fan to create a circle and tape the edges together to secure it.

Credit to: Spoonful

Paper Christmas Ornaments

Total Time 1 hour Ages all-ages

Proof of elegance in simplicity, these graceful paper shapes come together with two snaps of a stapler.

What you'll need

• Colored paper
• Stapler
• Ribbon or gold cord
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~How to make it

• 1. ORNAMENT: Cut two 12-inch strips, two 10-inch strips, and one 8 3/4-inch strip. Line them up in this order: 12, 10, 8 3/4, 10, 12, with one set of ends even. Staple this end. Line up the other ends evenly (bending the outer strips as needed) and staple.

  2.  HEART: Cut two 12-inch strips and two 9 1/2-inch strips. Line them up in this order: 9 1/2, 12, 12, 9 1/2, with one set of ends even. Staple this end. Now bend the unstapled ends into a heart shape, so a small heart lies inside a larger heart. Align the ends and staple together.

  3. TEARDROP: Cut two 12-inch strips, two 10 1/2-inch strips, and one 9-inch strip. Line them up in this order: 12, 10 1/2, 9, 10 1/2, 12, with one set of ends even. Staple this end. Next, make a crease 1 inch from the unstapled ends of the 12- and 10 1/2-inch strips. Finally, align the ends of all the strips and staple them together.

  4. Use the completed shapes to dress up a window or spin in midair from a light fixture or a ribbon. To hang each, knot the end of the gold cord and place it between the loose strips of paper at the top. Staple it all together.

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