Tissue Paper Snowflakes

While digitally flipping through Gifted Magazine, I noticed a fairly familiar holiday craft that was given a whole new look - paper snowflakes. But rather than using standard white paper, the masterminds behind the project used tissue paper, providing their snowflakes with a more subtle, whimsical, and etherial effect. I loved the look and instantly sought out some white tissue paper and a pair of scissors.

Another great plus for using tissue paper - it folds much easier than anything else I've used before. This allows you to fold your circles up tighter and tighter, allowing for more intricate and realistic designs.

The process is simple enough. Use a cup or other round object to trace circles onto white tissue paper. I actually traced with my exacto knife to skip out the extra step of tracing the circles and then cutting them out. Plus, I was able to layer the tissue paper and cut multiple sheets at a time.

Once you have your circles cut, fold them in half as many times as you'd like - the more folds the better. You'll ultimately want a pizza-slice-shaped section of folded tissue paper.

Then cut out your designs! I personally think they look best when the top rounded edge is cut with diagonal lines and triangles. I went to town with my scissors, making curved cut, squares, triangles small and large.

The fun part is carefully unfolding the tissue paper to reveal the entirely unique resulting flakes.

Though this project is in no way a revelation or a brand new idea, I love the look and versatility that using tissue paper provides. Just a few of the ideas from Gifted include using them to spruce up gift wrapping, hanging as a winter mobile, or adorning various household items to add a subtle touch of the holiday spirit. I also love to see these snowflakes hung in sunny windows and even spread over white walls. With a little bit of double-sided tape, I added some of my creations to the white wall of my kitchen and the white-on-white result makes a delicate wintry statement that can easily be removed post-holiday-season. Strung together as garland, these snowflakes can also be hung above doorways, along walls, or even on a Christmas tree.

For a simple and low-cost way to provide a bit of holiday punch to your decor this winter season, I hope you'll consider this new take on an old classic. Ditch the stark white paper snowflakes reminiscent of your elementary school days for these updated tissue paper versions to achieve a more sophisticated and understated holiday decoration.