You may or may not have enjoyed learning geometry, but now is the time to cast aside your emotions, and delve into this stunning project! Don't panic when you see the diagrams, it's really quite simple, and once you get the hang of it, you'll be making these in all sizes and colors with minimal effort. Really!
You'll Need:
- lightweight cardboard, such as cereal boxes or paper plates
- a ruler, and good scissors
- very tacky glue, double sided tape or hot glue (less perfect results)
- paints, stencils, (optional)
How To:
- Do the first one as an experiment to figure out the directions and to see how large the results will be.
- Using something perfectly round and at least 3" in diameter, such as a mug, a glass, a small plate etc.
- Draw around the perimeter of the object to create your circles. Carefully cut your circles out.
- You will need 20 circles per decoration.
- The panels of the decoration are actually circles exactly folded resulting in equilateral triangles with flaps for gluing one to the other.
- It is important to be a little bit exacting in the cutting and planning of these circles for nice results!
- You will need figure out how to draw a perfect equilateral triangle within the circle size you've chosen. This can be eyeballed, and then measured, but I recommend doing the calculations if you can.
- First of all, the circle needs to be divided into 6 equal parts to determine the position of the points of the triangle.
- Once you have figured out the exact measurements of this triangle, cut one out and use it as a template to draw triangles within all of your circles.
- Lightly score the lines designating the sides of the triangle with a bone folder (the best!) or another blunt yet not sharp object. Fold triangles on the scores lines and you're ready for assembly!
- Follow the directions in the diagrams below and whatever you do, don't panic!
To determine the exact position of the triangle within the circle, you
may be able to use one of the drawing programs on your computer. (See diagram below) With
the proper program this is so simple! Or, if you are just a bit
geometrically inclined you can do the same calculations with a
protractor or even a compass.
After you have created your circles, you will need to glue all the flaps together as shown below. Hot glue is the easiest, but may not result in perfect results as the glue tends to have depth, thus flaps wont be glued together neatly. Double stick tape works well, but can come untaped over time. A very tacky craft glue would work the best. For your first experiment you can use a stapler.
I can't stress enough, don't be daunted by these diagrams! You really can do it....! These would make wonderful decorations in the home, hung in a corner, as a grouping, or hung from a tree for beautiful outdoor summer decor. If you will use them in your Succah,they can be saved for at least several years if packed away carefully.
Additionally, the project shown here is just a starting point for your creativity! Last year I stenciled beautiful floral designs on the blank sides of cereal boxes to use as my cardboard, and the results were fabulous (if I get up the courage to climb up to my very hot attic to find them, I'll provide a photo soon!)
One could use cardboard with laminated scrapbook paper, or even stiffen your favorite fabric and use that!
Whatever you choose to create, please take pictures for the upcoming Flickr group. I can't wait to see how you've interpreted this project. And as always you can feel free to contact me or leave comments with any questions. Happy creating!