how to cut a paper snowflake – MINDING MY P'S WITH Q

One of my favorite Christmas activities is cutting paper snowflakes. I usually start in October or November and cut several each day. I need near 100 to fill the windows.

I use washable school glue sticks to keep the snowflakes in place. When it’s time to take them down just pull the paper away from the windowpane and swipe with a wet washcloth once or twice. Let the moisture soak in for a minute, wipe again, and all the paper and glue washes away. Sometimes, if I use the right cloth, I don’t even need to use window cleaner. Anyone who has ever picked transparent tape off of a piece of window glass will know how tedious it is and how long it takes. Gluing the snowflakes to the windows sounds scary, but believe me, I’ve done it for years and it is SOOOOOO much easier than taping because of easy removal.

If you live in a cold climate, and put your snowflakes in windows, they will be more durable and condensation resistant if you iron them between pieces of wax paper first. After ironing, pull the wax paper apart gently, and the snowflakes come out intact with an invisible layer of wax on their surface.

ALWAYS start with a square piece of paper. Computer paper works great! Four through eight inches are the sizes I use. The larger squares are easier to cut, but a variety of sizes on a window looks more interesting. Have fun!!!

It’s the time of year to begin gathering ideas for the upcoming Autumn and Winter seasons. I’ve posted all three of these tutorials in the past, but decided to resurrect them for the coming holiday seasons. I will be starting to cut snowflakes for December decorating any day now. I like to have eight in each window. When you add it up, that’s a lot of snowflakes to cut. If I cut one or two per day I have more than I need by December 1st.

The first video in my trio explains how to create paper snowflakes.

The second snowflake video shows you how to coat the paper with wax so that moisture from the winter windows does not ruin all your work.

The third video demonstrates how to make a large-sized oblong bow for wreaths or packages.

It’s a good idea to get a jumpstart on plans and crafts for the upcoming holiday seasons of the Autumn and Winter. A little bit done each week equals less stress as the holidays draw near.