Yesterday I shared with you my first go at origami dreidels, and today we are moving up the paper folding notch and making 3D paper stars using the same origami paper, so that the origami dreidels and the paper stars can work together in a garland or holiday wall hanging! (Yet to materialize, but hoping it will soon!) Constructing these 8 pointed paper stars was also a first for me, though I've had my eye on something similar for years, and I'm happy to say that they are really quite simple to make and can be made in a huge variety of sizes. I actually made a large one from a sample of wall paper, and it is beyond gorgeous (so never turn down old books of wall paper samples!) though possibly looks a little too similar to decorations one might see for xmas, so I think I will not be sharing that here. Instead I am sharing colorful stars that look perfect for Chanukah, as despite the commercial association in the USA of blue and silver for Chanukah, that has no basis whatsoever. Chanukah is all about joy and light, and I while I love blue, a single color certainly can't express all the wonderful qualities of our 8 night holiday! And just saying, an 8 pointed star, which is all about the number eight connects to the eight nights of Chanukah, and to the miracle of Chanukah as the number 8 means all things beyond the laws of nature, meaning generally miracles! Okay, lets make as many 3D 8 pointed stars as we can, as they look great scattered here or regardless of how you choose to use them!
The color combo that I think works is a mix of cool and warm brights, excluding green and pink (I made stars in those colors too) so take that into consideration so that your stars all look great together. Don't get me wrong, bright green and pink are color favorites, just not here!
You'll Need:
- 12cm x12cm origami paper for small stars, (as seen here) or any cardstock or medium weight paper for larger stars
- a glue stick
- a hot glue gun
- scissors
- a tutorial for making these stars, this one is good from instructables, though there are many out there
How To:
- Construct a pair of 4 pointed stars according to the instructions, with results as seen below. You can opt to make two tone stars which looks amazing, but I'm choosing to make them in one color as I'll be combining them with other elements and the two color stars are more of a visual statement that I think will work in my case, but don't take my word for it, two colored stars are gorgeous.
- Now you simply need to join the two 4 pointed stars together to make one 8 pointed star. I did this by placing tiny dots of hot glue around the opening of the inside of the star, and then when you place the second star on top the glue is hidden, give that a try and make sure that works for you, as you can always use a bit less glue, namely 8 dots total or so.
- That is it, to hang one can use a needle and thread and voila, Chanukah light and festivity abounds!
So amazing that some wonky paper stars come together to make a gorgeous 8 pointed star, right?
And just by the way, these stars are great for so many occassions, so keep this crafting trick up your sleeve, for when you need a special cake topper, or even a party centerpiece of some kind. Happy Chanukah crafting!