A Christmas tree is an essential attribute of the winter holidays. However, it absolutely doesn’t have to be a real, living tree. After all, you can easily create an unusual and beautiful DIY paper Christmas tree with your own hands. Among all festive decorations, a paper Christmas tree holds a special place. First, it brings the magical atmosphere of a winter forest right into your home, letting even adults believe in fairy tales. Second, it helps to decorate your apartment in a very stylish and eco-friendly way. It is truly wonderful when children learn to craft alongside their parents, and even better when they create things themselves. This fun project will undoubtedly captivate your child, and they will gladly make not only a paper Christmas tree but also many other wonderful holiday decorations.
Materials needed:
- A sheet of colored paper (A4 size)
- Scissors
Step-by-step instructions:
- Take a rectangular sheet of paper measuring 21 by 29 cm.
- Make a perfect square from the rectangular sheet by folding one corner diagonally to meet the opposite edge.
- Cut off the bottom rectangular strip that turned out to be excess.
- Fold the paper square along one diagonal, unfold, and then fold along the other diagonal.
- You should get an X-shaped crease on your paper, just like in the photo.
- Rotate the paper blank by 90 degrees. Fold the edges towards the opposite sides (in half horizontally and vertically) to create additional fold lines, as shown in the photo.
- Fold the top left side towards the center crease (as shown in the photo).
- Repeat the previous step on the other side.
- The basic foundation of your paper Christmas tree is ready.
- Fold the left side inward.
- Fold the right side inward.
- Flip the paper blank over. Repeat steps 10-11 on the back.
- Check your result against the photo.
- Rotate the folded piece 90 degrees clockwise. Fold the bottom edge of the piece towards the center. Then, fold the bottom edge back in the opposite direction. Do the same with the other sides.
- Next, take one side and carefully tuck it inward (squash fold). Repeat this process with the other three sides to get a 3D volumetric shape.
- Your shape should now look like the one shown in the photo.
- Tuck the bottom part of the resulting figure inwards to create a straight, flat base.
- Repeat step 17 with the remaining sides of the figure, as shown in the photo.
- Make small horizontal cuts on both sides of the tree figure to form branches, being careful not to cut all the way to the center line.
- Start folding the cut corners downwards, beginning from the top tier. You need to fold down the corners on all eight sides of the tree.
- Your beautiful DIY paper Christmas tree is ready!
Watch the full video tutorial here:
