Guide by Natalie MacDonald
Christmas decorations needn’t be expensive. In fact, making your own can be lots of fun. I made these origami star decorations using old copies of Clydesider!
Here are some step-by-step instructions for making a five-point origami Christmas star. It’s very easy to make and requires just a few folds.
Materials Needed:
• A pentagon-shaped piece of paper (like the below photo)
• Paper trimmer or scissors
• Pencil (optional, for tracing the template)
• Paint, glue and glitter to decorate your star
Instructions:
1. Prep the Pentagon:
- Trace the Pentagon: Place the pentagon template on the back of your decorative paper and trace.
- Cut Out the Pentagon: Carefully cut along the traced lines to get a perfect pentagon shape.
2. Create the Crease Lines:
- Fold in Half: With the patterned side facing down, fold the pentagon in half by matching two opposite corners. Crease well, then open.
- Rotate and Repeat: Rotate to the next corner and repeat, folding each of the five corners to create a crease from each point of the pentagon.
- After five folds, your pentagon should have a crease radiating from each corner to the opposite side.
3. Corner Folds:
- Align Bottom Corners to Creases: Take the bottom two corners of the pentagon and fold them up to meet the creases that run from each corner.
- Match the Centre Line: Ensure the centre line stays aligned for a sharp crease.
- Rotate and Repeat: Rotate the pentagon to the next corner and repeat, folding all five corners.
4. Fold Toward the Centre:
- Fold Up from Left and Bottom Corners: Starting at the left side, fold up from the left side and from the bottom, making sure the fold lines meet in the middle.
- Fold Out to the Left: Fold the creased part out to the left to set the shape.
- Rotate and Repeat: Go around the pentagon and repeat for each side. You should see a distinct shape forming.
5. Pull Edges Toward the Centre:
- Grab and Fold Straight Areas: Locate the straight edges between each of the points and fold each one inward toward the centre. Repeat for all five edges.
- Form the Star Shape: Press down gently to help the folds align, and the paper should collapse into a five-point star shape.
6. Finalise Points:
- Flip the Star Over: With the star shape now visible, turn it over.
- Fold Each Point to the Centre: Start at one point, folding it toward the very centre of the star to create a sharp point. Rotate and repeat for each point.
- Complete the Last Fold: For the final point, open the first fold slightly to tuck it underneath, then press everything down to secure.
7. Decorate your star!
- Paint your star. You can use acrylic paint, if you want. I used a can of spray paint (do this outside, or in a well ventilated area). Leave to dry. Paint both sides of the star.
- Add some glitter and sparkle! I used mounting spray, but you can use PVA glue too (just be careful not to apply too much). Then – carefully – sprinkle your glitter. Leave to dry.
- Thread your star onto some string or colourful thread, ready to hang from the tree. I used a gold metallic thread, then hung my stars from the fairy lights!
And your origami Clydesider Christmas Star is finished! Give the star one last press to ensure neat creases, and it’s ready for display.
Why not save this year’s wrapping paper and get started on next year’s decorations!
And if you get a bit lost, there are lots of good tutorials freely available on YouTube.
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