Upcycled Paper Stars

These festive stars are such a simple craft and the perfect way to upcycle paper scraps. We used wallpaper remnants from a bathroom remodel we did last winter, but discarded wrapping paper, recycled newspaper, or outdated calendar pages would work nicely too. To make them, cut two pieces of paper the same size, accordion fold them (like you’re making a paper fan), tie them together in the middle with twine, and glue the flat edges to adjoin them. It’s so simple, even the tiniest makers can lend a hand.

Materials

paper (wallpaper, wrapping paper, newspaper, etc.,)

scissors

twine

glue stick

clothespins

Directions

1. Cut two pieces of wall paper, wrapping paper, newspaper, etc., the same size. Any size will do. If you’re making more then one star, a cluster of small, medium, and large stars make for a fun display in front of a large picture window.

2. Accordion fold each piece of paper, like you’re making a paper fan. Don’t worry about lining up each fold perfectly. My folds are usually a little wonky, but my stars always turn out fine.

3. Once you’ve accordion folded a piece of paper, fold it in half lengthwise. With a good pair of scissors, cut the ends into a point (or leave flat for a less pointy looking star like the one in the picture). Repeat with the other piece of paper.

4. Place the two pieces of folded papers on a flat work surface. Tie them together in the middle with a long piece of twine. The twine will double as the hanger for the star so make sure it’s long enough to hang from the ceiling or the molding of a window, etc.,

5. Once you’ve tied the star together, you’ll need to adjoin the four different sections of accordion folds. Using a glue stick, coat the flat edges of each section with glue, then press them together. The twine will need to be glued between the edges of one section so make sure to tuck it in when you get to it. After you glue the edges of each section, either use your fingers or a clothespin to hold them together while they dry.

6. Once your star has dried, remove the clothespins if you use them, then hang your star! (We hang ours from a big window in our art room, using washi tape).

Enjoy!