How to make a Finnish Star or Carolina Snowflake

My husband's grandmother, Aune, was proud of her Finnish heritage and had many Christmas ornaments made of woven material, including a snowflake like this. I loved the look of it (hers was blue - her favourite colour) and figured out how to make them. My kids and I made dozens of them for gifts years ago using reed strips and a glue gun, and we still see them hanging over mantels or in windows at friends' houses. We left them natural, but they could be spray painted any colour.

​This version is simple to make using printer paper and a glue stick. They can also be made any size and any colour and would look great as a collection hanging in a window or from the ceiling or decorating a classroom during the holidays. 

​If you make them, be sure to post a picture on social media and tag me in it!

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Step One:

Cut 20 strips of paper of equal length and equal width.  My strips are 1/2 " x 11 " cut from a letter-sized sheet of copy paper. Lay five strips horizontally about 1/4" apart and weave five strips vertically as shown. Make the spacing as even as  possible and tack into place with a bit of glue. Do this again with the other 10 strips. 

​Note: You can make larger stars with more strips, but always start with an uneven number on each side. (7, 9, etc.)

Step Two:

Bring the outside right strip and the right top strips together, twisting up and over.  Glue in place. 

Step Three:

Continue pairing up the strips and gluing in place until only the middle strips are left unglued.

Step Four:

Lay the two completed sides on top of each other, lining up the single remaining strips on one with the points of the snowflakes on the other.  Bring each strip through the snowflake point and glue in place.

​Your snowflake is now complete!