Zero Waste Christmas Craft

Remember making snowflakes in elementary school?
It's such a simple idea,
but wow, what an impact they can make!
They are easy, quick and quite relaxing to create.
It took a bit of research to get the process down pat,
but after a while, 
I could see them improving with each attempt.
The best part of this craft is that 
it produces very little to no waste.

The only supplies needed are 
paper, scissors and your imagination.
This is a fantastic project to do with kids,
especially a big group!

 Two different sizes of triangle pieces were made.
By simply folding a standard piece of computer paper
so that the bottom right corner is brought up to the left side edge and creased,
it forms a triangle.  The excess is cut off (we used the extra pieces for scrap paper.)
For the smaller triangles,
fold a standard sized piece of computer paper in half width-wise,
and follow the same process, creating the triangle.

 Once you have the triangles completed,
the magic begins!

 Regardless of size, fold the triangle over onto itself,
so that you have a smaller version of the original triangle.

 It should look like this.

Then open up the fold,
so that your triangle has the point facing down.

 Take the right side of the triangle
and fold it so that the outside edge
lines up with the center crease.

Crease it well, so that it stays together
and flip it so that the point is facing up,

like this.
Someone said that it should look like the Star Trek logo.

Cut off the bottom part of the new shape,
so that the bottom edge is completely straight.

Even these tiny scraps will get used-I'll tell you how.

Let the design begin!
There are a few ways to do this part,
but what you need to remember is not to cut all the way through the thinner side.
If you do, your final product will be in pieces, instead of one stunning snowflake.
I experimented with many shapes and I found the designs I liked best
were made by cutting from the bottom up into the center.
The more detail you add, the "flakier" your finished product will be.

from this

 Here's one design that I did,
and once unfolded, you'll see the results.
This part is free-form, basically just let your imagination go wild!

to this

almost there

eh, voila!

The feeling of joy comes over you
as you unfold each masterpiece,
never knowing what it will look like until the very last moment.
It really is magical!

And just like real snowflakes,
each one is absolutely unique.
This is a no or low waste project, 
depending on what you do with them.
We created one feature wall in our living room
and covered it from floor to ceiling!
All scraps will be either used for scratch paper
or used in our worm bin as bedding.
The snowflakes themselves make a great addition to any gift
and can be reused each year until they fall apart.
At that time, they can be composted or used in the worm bin.

It was so much fun reliving childhood memories
and relearning a simple and fun craft.

What are some of your favorite holiday crafts?