DIY Paper Angel Ornaments
Do you need a quick craft for your kids to do? Why not try your hand at making DIY Paper Angel Ornaments. This step-by-step tutorial will guide you through making these simple paper angels for your Christmas tree.
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Things You Need to Make DIY Paper Angel Ornaments
- scrapbook paper in various colors and patterns (You can find some in my Resource Library)
- scissors
- wooden beads-1/2″ (12 mm) to 3/4″ (20 mm)
- twine
- double sided tape
- fine point sharpies
- glue or a glue gun
- pipe cleaners
To Make the Angels From Scratch
If you want to make the paper angel ornaments from scratch, cut a 4″ square and a 6″ square from matching scrapbook paper. Be careful not to purchase card stock. It is much more difficult to put the ornaments together with the thicker paper. (In the pictures, the green chevron pattern was made using card stock. Notice it does not fan out as well as the others. It was also much more difficult to fold.)
To Make the Angel Body
Fold each square in a back and forth pattern to make a fan. For best results, try to make each fold approximately the same size on both angels. I folded mine in 1/2″ increments.
Next, fold the large fan in half. Mark the halfway point with a small dot. Here comes the hardest part of the whole ornament. If you have a helper it is much easier, though I was able to make them by myself.
Put the two fans together, pattern sides facing you. Using a piece of 12″ twine (at least) tie the two squares together, centering the top (4″) fan in the middle of the 6″ fan.
Bend the large fan in half where you made the dot. Using double-sided tape, tape the two fans together in the center. Then tape the bottom of the small fan to the top of the large fan on each side.
To Make the Head and Halo
For the bead, draw a face on the bead using a sharpie if you choose. You can see in the photos, I did some with faces and some without. Slip the ends of the twine through the bead and secure the bead to the top of the angel using a small bead of glue on the back side of the ornament. A glue gun works best if you have one.
Cut a 2 1/2″ piece of pipe cleaner and bend it into a small circle, overlapping the ends a bit to get it to stay together. Slip the twine through the pipe cleaner so it sits on top of the wooden bead for the halo. Secure it with a dab of glue also.
To finish your paper angel ornament, tie another knot in the top of the twine. Cut away any excess twine. Your angel is now ready to hang on your tree or adorn a wrapped Christmas gift.
To Make the Angels From My Patterns
If you don’t want to worry about cutting the squares the correct size or purchasing scrapbook paper, I have designed several patterns you can choose from. (snowflakes, green check, red & green stripes, and red check)
These are in my Resource Library and are free to all my subscribers. (If you aren’t a subscriber yet, sign up below. I’ll send you the password to the resource library immediately.) By using these patterns, you can skip the step of measuring and creating the perfect 4″ and 6″ square. (And if you don’t like my designs, you can still use one as a template. )
Get access to the Resource Library.
Cut out the patterns along the black lines. (The perfectionists among you will want to cut just inside the black line!) Then proceed as above to complete your angel.
Alternatives to the Paper Angels
If you don’t have the wooden beads or don’t want to purchase them, you can put two fans together (that are the same size) to make a simple, yet beautiful ornament. Print out two pages of each pattern and you can make one 4″ ornament and one 6″ ornament. These would look lovely on Christmas presents and would be an extra gift for the recipient.
Making Memories While Making Ornaments
We love making ornaments at our house. We do at least one new ornament each year as part of our “12 Days of Christmas.” We love using them to remember the memories we’ve made each year as we decorate our tree. Our church also does an Advent Festival each year where we make ornaments and crafts. Each of my boys has a nice collection of their own ornaments that they can take with them when they are grown to hang on their own Christmas tree.
Do you make Christmas ornaments each year? What has been your favorite ornament you’ve made?
Meet Julie
I’m a farm girl born and bred in North Carolina. I’ve been growing a vegetable garden for over 20 years (and helping my Mom grow hers even longer). I’ve been raising chickens in my bathtub and backyard for 12+ years. I believe that homegrown food can be made simple. Let’s get started.
What a clever and cute craft. Can’t wait to try this with my Sunday School class. I think the kids will really enjoy it!
I hope they enjoy it. I am doing it with the kids at our church Advent Festival this Sunday.