My Misspent Youth
Earlier this week, I opened the windows in my house. Yesterday, I went to the grocery store wearing sandals. Something has to be done. It’s December, it’s Ohio, it should not be in the 60s. I need to make it snow. This is traditionally done by hanging either straw stars or paper stars in the windows.
Now, let me back up. I’m not sure either of these things is a very traditional holiday craft in the States. But I grew up in Germany, and making both of these was always part of the season. The straw stars make a huge mess and are not kitten friendly, so last night I decided to go with the paper ones.
It starts with a paper cutter, the instruction book (optional, you really can just wing it) and some fancy colored translucent paper. I’m not sure this stuff is available here. It’s not tissue paper like you’d use for a present. It’s more like tracing paper. I think it may actually be what’s called glassine paper. If you want to buy your own, the closest I’ve found seems to be the stuff called kite paper. I’ve got a fair bit left over from years ago though, so I just dug around in the closet.
Then comes some folding. And a bit more folding. And one or two more folds. It’s not hard at all, just tedious. I suggest doing it in front of the tv.
Each individual piece looks like this (had to hold it up to a lamp as it was dark outside, sorry about that).
Then you tape them all together (this is the part I usually botch up) and hang them in your window. When it’s light outside (which it’s not terribly here, but hopefully this gives the idea), you can see all the different layers as differing shades of the color.
I made a little orange one too.
And of course Levon had to come supervise as soon as he heard the camera. He’s helpful like that.
Now, I just have to wait for it to start snowing. I’ll make a few more to hurry things along, but I don’t see how this could fail to work.
What about you guys, does anyone else make these? Does anyone else have any sure fire ways to make it snow (or stop snowing…which I’m sure I’ll be interested in come February)?
Wow. These are gorgeous. Do you know where we could find the pattern?
The pink one is modified from the book shown in the pic (which is old and alas out of print, but there are lots more on the same subject on amazon.de). The orange one is just something I improvised. Sorry! But you can totally just improvise.
Love those paper stars! We used to make those every December in high school French class and I’d forgotten about them. Until now! So lovely!
oooh pretty!
Levon is becoming a star in his own right. He has a very thoughtful pose as if to say he would appreciate some snowflakes…even if just for the entertainment value of watching them fall.
Those are so beautiful. I’ve never made them, but I would like to! We just make paper snowflakes or crocheted snowflakes. But we don’t need to make it snow just yet…we already had a little.
One Christmas Eve in Finland it hadn’t snowed yet, so my sister and I beat up soapsuds and stuck clumps on the windows to look like snow, and the next morning it was snowing like CRAZY! (I don’t know, though, you might have to be 10 and 11 – and living in Helsinki – to make it work.)
(Love the pic of Levon – beautiful cat, beautiful composition.)
Oh that’s fantastic! I’ll have to keep it in mind in case the stars don’t do the job.
Beautiful stars! Last night we had the first snow, after I put the straw stars in the window., crazy right? Here in Germany they don’t teach anymore to make stars like yours, but I was taught by my grandmother and have still some.
I volunteered at a kindergarten in the early 90s, and they were teaching the kids (simple) versions of these then. I think those kids got much better/cuter arts and crafts projects than the American kindergarteners I know now!
Those are cool. My son loves origami and he would find these fun.
Just discovered these. I’ve not seen them in Australia. And a now so addicted. Thanks
Since this book is out of print and we cannot buy it would you please share some tutorials for these stars? The first one you made is one of the most beautiful stars I have seen. I am a kindergarten teacher and I have two in print books but they are not as beautiful as yours
Unfortunately no. It would take hours…probably really days…of work to do that. But there are lots of other tutorials on how to do them online. I’ve linked to some on the blog over the years, and you can find lots of others through google.
And people rediscover this post every year! That’s beautiful and I’ve never seen anything like it.