How to Make Paper Ornaments

Jeffery Rudell, contributor

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These whimsical, gem-toned paper ornaments make a handsome addition to any tree.  

Jeff Rudell

If you'd rather recycle materials, many glossy magazine covers are brightly colored and printed on heavy stock. Once cut into strips, you can transform them into beautifully patterned decorations.

Jeff Rudell

Don't be afraid to experiment with the size (length and width) of the strips you use. Here, narrow strips of magenta and purple blend beautifully.

Jeff Rudell

These whimsical, gem-toned paper ornaments make a handsome addition to any tree.  

Photo: Jeff Rudell

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As someone who's folded 1,000 origami paper cranes, made miles of paper garland, and crafted individual paper shades for seven strings of holiday lights, I can say with some authority that if you're planning on creating crafts for the holidays, now is the time to begin work on those projects! Granted, Labor Day may seem a bit early to begin, but in my experience, things frequently take longer to complete than one anticipates. In the case of the 1,000 origami cranes mentioned above, I got that harebrained (birdbrained?) idea one year shortly after Thanksgiving. Making a paper crane is relatively simple, I thought, so how hard could it be to make 1,000 of them?

The truth is, it's not hard, not at all, but it is time consuming and there's the rub. After the first evening of folding (in front of the TV) I had a total of 15 cranes completed. A little bit of math revealed that was just over 1/10 of 1 percent of the full project. A little more math (of the slightly more complicated type) revealed that at my current rate of production, I would complete my project somewhere around February 4 of the following year! Yikes.

More decorating ideas: • How to Make a Garland with Punch • How to Make a Snowstorm • How to Make a Surprisingly Simple Paper Wreath

Not being the sort of person to give up (or listen to reason), I proceeded to increase my production output. I folded cranes on the subway, at the deli, in waiting rooms, at dinner, while watching TV, and walking to appointments. I fielded questions about what I was doing, and the subsequent question, "Why would anyone want to?" I withstood a lot of sidelong glances, a few quizzical stares, and one patently aggressive slur, but I could not be deterred. The project became my own personal Labor-of-Hercules, with myself in the role of demigod.

By mid-December, as I passed the halfway mark, I realized the task was substantially larger than anticipated. Yes, I had to make another 500 cranes, but I would also have to rig up something to hang each of them by. That meant using a quilling needle to make a perfectly positioned hole through each crane's body and threading a metallic cord through the hole and tying it off with a knot.

Time consuming! 

The rest of the story you can write yourself: I did nothing but work on cranes; I grew irritable and withdrawn, and I suffered from a precipitous lack of sleep in the last weeks leading up to Christmas.

The result? Well, much to the relief of myself and my friends, I met my goal late Christmas Eve. However, the truth of the matter is, 1,000 cranes on a Christmas tree looked nothing like I'd imagined. One friend said, gently, that I could have achieved the same effect by taking a bushel of spitballs and tossing them into the branches. A neighbor's little girl was less kind-if more honest-when she asked, "Why didn't you do something pretty, like put Christmas ornaments on your tree? We got ours at Wal-Mart; you can borrow some."

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Comments (23)

ballidhoot52 writes: nice ornaments. I will love to make ornaments on my own & i will decorate my house with this.
Posted: 11:29 pm on July 26th

bradbates11 writes: best decorating thing at home
Posted: 6:36 am on July 26th

lyunmoss writes: this is very useful for house decoration
Posted: 5:22 am on July 26th

TheThreadLady writes: We watched a PBS show last night that we'd recorded ages ago but never had the time to watch. It was "The Origami Revolution". The very next day I'm reading your article with directions on how to make paper ornaments. I'll make the ornaments but it was the introductory part of your post where you made all those origami cranes that must be total coincidence or maybe even Karma! I hope you saw the program last spring. If you didn't you'll definitely want to watch how origami is now being used to revolutionize the way scientists, engineers and industry rethink ways to design, develop, invent and reinvent how forms should be created.
Posted: 1:11 am on December 23rd

GC1992 writes: Great!
Posted: 7:27 am on January 25th

rubydaly writes: Wonderful! I've always loved working with paper. I even took online Origami lessons several years ago. These look very nice.
Posted: 3:39 am on January 7th

spacart writes: I love your Christmas Ornament balls. Thank you for posting your project and advice. I am one of those who ends of finishing the crafted gifts just before Christmas. I like the concept of having the holidays free to enjoy my home and friends with out "completion anxieties". Now I just have to stick to my decision.
Posted: 1:58 am on January 16th

launenat writes: Beautiful work, you have angel's hands
Posted: 9:02 am on January 14th

Carolemeis writes: I loved your statement: "I stop crafting and take the entire month of December off to enjoy friends, family, food, and the fruits of my labors" .... such a well-purposed plan to keep in mind!

Your hand-made ornaments sure out-class any shop bought one; they're just magical.




Posted: 9:39 pm on January 6th

Jessicalyn_Bliss writes: Great project! I am going to make these and use them to create a mobile for my baby.
Posted: 7:25 pm on January 6th

Eternal_Clouds writes: thats so cant wait to decorate my room with them
Posted: 10:49 am on March 8th

bovata writes: Hey there is a very easy way to keep from getting gaps or the strips collapsing on one another! once you have your paper strips stacked on the bottom wire, alternate the order so that the first strip that was stacked on the bottom wire becomes the first strip stacked on the top. This means that in the changing of order, the strips will cross at the center of the ornament, giving you a swirled look and making the ornament more stable. The only downside is that once this is glued in place, they must be stored like that, so it will take up more room.
Posted: 11:26 am on December 1st

NancyWard writes: Jerry,

Today I posted an entry to my blog with a link to this tutorial.

Would you let me know if that's OK?

Thanks,

Nancy Ward
http://paperfriendly.blogspot.com
Posted: 11:17 am on November 17th

farmerchild writes: This is a great idea for wedding decorations on a budget!!! Thanks for sharing!
Posted: 10:12 pm on November 11th

gravityworks2 writes: I made this ornament today! I Love it! I added a bead to the bottom end of the wire for a bit of sparkle. It turned out so pretty my 4 year old daughter wants to make one too!
Posted: 1:28 pm on November 9th

eveh writes: I love these. I would love to see more like this. I am bed ridden right now and miss crafting but this is soemthing I can do from my bedside and feel like I am doing something to make our home cheerful for Christmas.
Posted: 6:27 pm on November 8th

isewformykids writes: I think you have found the solution to my autistic sons breaking of ornaments. Thank you.
Posted: 12:04 am on November 8th

sigridsoto writes: I will try it i imagine you have done over and over and are very good it by the looks of it they are very pretty
Posted: 5:05 am on October 12th

J9 writes: They are beautiful, I am also going to try and cut up plastic strips which should make them suitable for outdoor use. Thanks Jeffery for the great ideas for us not so creative.
Posted: 10:54 pm on September 24th

uucrafteratthebeach writes: Wow Jeff! I found your site 2 days ago and have made 4 of these already. I love them. It's as good as therapy.
After #2, I added enhancements. 1]green paper leaves,slightly curled and 2]the wire ends became longer and I curly-qued them.
I'm taking this project to a UU Crafters group this weekend. We're starting on Halloween decorations. Thanks soooo much
Monika [p.s. belated Birthady greetings, mine was the 7th]
Posted: 2:48 pm on September 10th

directedbyhp writes: Me and my kids (11-16 years old) have been looking for a paper project to do. I have admired your work, and I would love to try this paper project from you. Hopefully follow up photos and reactions of my kids paper ornaments, to follow.

Angela
Louisville, Kentucky
Posted: 2:34 am on September 7th

MaeveQ writes: I LOVE these. I think they would be pretty to hang on the trees in our backyard. Thanks, your work is so beautiful
Posted: 10:37 am on September 1st

halfaperfectpair writes: i love this project! maybe this year i'll be smart and start on some holiday crafts early...i think i'll head to the paper store today!!
Posted: 8:03 am on September 1st

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