Lucky Stars

Nine puffy stars the size of a fingernail, three in each color. Each one is folded without glue from a ⅜ in × 8½ in strip: a pentagon knot, ten folds and five pinches. Each sheet gives three strips; for a whole jar, cut more — the layout is the same.

• Easy
• 9 stars
• 3 paper colors
• 0 glue

Make it with your phone cameraLesson code: 3971

On VanGami the template appears over your sheet through your phone camera — no printer needed. Trace it, cut, fold and glue. Below are all the steps in text.

What you’ll need

• 3 Letter sheets — office paper, 80 gsm (20 lb)
• Markers
• Pencil — and eraser
• Ruler — 8–12 in
• Scissors — small
• Glass — phone stand

Steps

Trace

1. Sheet 1: pink sheet. Take a pink sheet. You don’t need the camera here — follow the diagram on the screen.
2. Four lines. Line up the left edge of the sheet with the left line of the frame on the screen. Draw four lines with a ruler from the edge almost to the middle of the sheet: between them are three strips ⅜ in wide.
3. Pink. Color the band between the outer lines with this color — across the whole sheet, to the right edge. Then flip the sheet over and color the band on the back too: it shows through. If you skip this, the stars will come out white.
4. Sheet 2: yellow sheet. Take the yellow sheet. You don’t need the camera here — follow the diagram on the screen.
5. Four lines. The same four lines go on the yellow sheet: from the left edge almost to the middle.
6. Yellow. Color the band between the outer lines with this color — across the whole sheet, to the right edge. Then flip the sheet over and color the band on the back too: it shows through. If you skip this, the stars will come out white.
7. Sheet 3: light blue sheet. Take the light blue sheet. You don’t need the camera here — follow the diagram on the screen.
8. Four lines. And the same four lines on the light blue sheet.
9. Light blue. Color the band between the outer lines with this color — across the whole sheet, to the right edge. Then flip the sheet over and color the band on the back too: it shows through. If you skip this, the stars will come out white.

Cut

10. Fold the sheet in half lengthwise. Fold the pink sheet in half lengthwise, lines facing out: long edge to long edge. Crease the fold with your finger.
11. Three strips. Cut along the lines through both layers at once — from the open edge all the way through the fold. Between the lines are three strips, folded in half. Set the top and bottom of the sheet aside as spares.
12. Two more sheets. Unfold the strips and smooth out the crease in the middle with your fingernail: each one is ⅜ in × 8½ in. Fold and cut the yellow and light blue sheets the same way — nine strips in all.

Knot

13. Tie a knot. Make a loop right at the end of the strip and tie a simple knot: the end goes over the strip, wraps around it from underneath and comes up through the loop. Don’t pull it tight: the short end should stick out of the loop by ⅜–⅝ in.
14. Tighten and flatten. Pull the long end a little at a time, smoothing the loops with your fingers: the knot will lie flat as a pentagon. Press it down: the short end should be about ⅜ in.
15. Hide the short end. Fold the short end onto the pentagon along its side. If it sticks out past the edge, trim it.

Wrap

16. First folds. Wrap the long end around the pentagon: fold it along the side it comes out from under. It’s easier to roll the pentagon itself along the strip, as in the picture.
17. To the end of the strip. Keep wrapping: each time the strip lies exactly along the next side. Don’t pull it tight. You’ll get about ten folds — two rounds of five sides, with a small tail left over.
18. Tuck in the tail. The tail should be slightly shorter than a side of the pentagon: cut off the extra. Fold it over the side and slip the tip under the edge of the top layer, like into a pocket.

Rays

19. First ray. Hold the pentagon by its corners with two fingers. With your fingernail, press the middle of one side inward: two points will stand up on either side of it.
20. Four more sides. Turn the pentagon and press in the other four sides the same way. The middle puffs up and you get a puffy star.
21. Eight more stars. Fold the rest of the strips the same way. That makes nine stars — three of each color.

Done. Nine stars are done. A whole jar takes about a hundred stars: cut more strips from the same sheets — the layout is the same.

Make it with your phone camera

More in Holiday decor

PumpkinMediumGhostMediumStar PiñataHardCobweb with a SpiderEasyPaper Chain GarlandEasyLa CatrinaHard