Make a Christmas Card Star

For many people, Christmas cleanup means throwing away all those beautiful holiday cards that have been collecting on the mantle. Instead of letting them go to waste, why not turn them into a decoration – or even the star that tops your tree next year? To make a one-of-a-kind Christmas card star, simply follow these instructions.

Steps

  1. Print out this pattern. First, right-click on the image, select Save Image As to save the file to your computer, and save it as Template1. (To make it easy to find, save it to the desktop.)
  2. Print. Then, locate the file on your computer, right-click, and select Print. Be sure to print it in its original size, not a size suggested by your printer program. To turn this into a group activity, be sure to print out more than one copy.
  3. Cut the pattern out and trace its outline onto the interior of each card. Make sure to trace it on the side of the card opposite the nicest part of the card’s design. Repeat until you’ve traced the pattern twenty times.
  4. Cut the pattern out of each card and fold where the lines should be. Scoring each card along the interior fold lines will make the thick paper easier to fold. To score, place the edge of a ruler along the desired fold and run one edge of a pair of scissors along the ruler, cutting partly through the paper. You can also use a ruler and a pizza cutter instead, but be careful not to press too hard.
  5. Glue the cutouts to form enclosed pyramids. Apply glue to each long side-flap and press the flap along the inside of the adjacent side of the pyramid, but don’t do anything with the flaps along the base for now. Each pyramid will eventually be a point on the star.
  6. Print out this pattern. First, right-click on the image, select Save Image As to save the file to your computer, and save it as Template1 . (To make it easy to find, save it to the desktop.) Then, locate the file on your computer, right-click, and select Print . Be sure to print it in its original size, not a size suggested by your printer program. Use heavy cardstock or print your pattern onto regular paper and then paste the pattern onto a cereal box or other light cardboard. This will be the body of the star.
  7. Cut out and score-fold the pattern.
  8. Glue together carefully. Be sure to glue flaps underneath the adjacent edges to hide the structural elements of the star body.
  9. Glue the points onto the star. First, fold the base flaps of each point inwards toward the interior to make sure they lie flat along the star body instead of pushing the star point away from it. Then, apply glue to each flap and press into place. Hold until secure. Repeat until all 20 points are applied.
  10. Done.

Things You’ll Need

  • Printer and printer paper
  • 20 holiday cards
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pen
  • Glue stick or gun

Tips

  • Wrapping paper also works well for the star points but is considerably more fragile.
  • This can also make a nice activity for a New Year's Eve celebrated at home.
  • Cello tape (the kind in dispenser used for scrapbooking) also works well for closing the triangle points (but isn’t recommended for attaching them to the body).
  • Carefully wrap the star in tissue paper and place into a marked box for next year.
  • When folding up the points, it is very important to make sure the tip isn’t open (even if it’s only a little); this will give your star an unfinished look. The same applies to gaps along the single sealed edge where the sides of the pyramid come together. If you have to fudge a little on your marked folding lines to make it happen, then go ahead.
  • This project doesn't necessarily require Christmas cards; any decorative, heavyweight paper will work. (Ex. for a Coca-Cola themed tree, use Coca-Cola soda boxes.) Do note, however, that even thin cardboard (ex. the kind from cereal boxes) is very difficult to fold in so many intricate places.

Warnings

  • Do not alter the size of the pattern printouts unless you can be absolutely certain that you’ve maintained their relative proportions. It is very important to be sure that the triangles of the base and the triangles formed by the cardstock are the same size before attempting to assemble the star.

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Sources and Citations

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