The elegant and cozy oneScandinavian interior design stylehas conquered everyone's hearts. If you don't want to or can't immediately renew your entire home furnishings to maintain this unique atmosphere, simply rely on the right decoration. Also at Christmas and in winter. Especially in this cold and dreary time of year, we long for warmth and comfort, but if possible free of too much kitsch. The simple pieces of jewelry from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark are just right! Would you like to complement your Scandinavian Christmas decorations with something homemade? How about the romantic, beautiful and themed Christmas and winter stars? In today's article we will explain to you how you can make Swedish stars.
Swedish paper stars are simple, but they don't necessarily have to be snow white. Other subtle colors are also suitable - for example, combine a light gray with beige and white, mint green with rose or create a group of all of these shades (of course only if this fits your interior). Even music or newspaper is ideal. A Scandinavian 3D star can be perforated and present beautiful patterns, illuminated or small or large and have any number of points. Thanks to our instructions you will immediately get an idea of how beautiful these aresimple Nordic decorationworks. And after that, at the latest, you'll feel like making Swedish stars yourself, guaranteed! In Sweden they traditionally hang them in the windows on the first Advent. If you missed it, any other day is of course also suitable.
Make Swedish stars – Advent star with 8 points
As already mentioned, the Scandinavian star can have any number of points. Our first star consists of two parts with four points each, so you can make Swedish stars with a total of eight points. Do you think that crafting is extremely complicated? Not at all! This is how you can easily fold and glue Scandinavian stars:
- any paper, preferably something firmer (e.g. craft cardboard)
- Pencil
- Glue
- Scissors
- String and tape for hanging
If you would like to make Swedish stars like these, the initial shape for the paper is a square (in the example 32 x 32 cm). Place this in front of you. If the paper has motifs on one side, then that “beautiful” side faces downwards. Fold the bottom left corner to the top right, i.e. fold the square once diagonally. Then fold one of the two sharper corners to the opposite one and then repeat the same thing again, so that you have folded the paper a total of three times in a row. Then unfold it again and you should have a folding pattern as shown in the picture.
Measure along the vertical and horizontal folds from the outside edge to the center point and mark these locations. Then cut the folds up to the mark and always fold the cut sides into the diagonal folds. This is how you get the star points.
Now place the folded sides of each prong on top of each other, apply plenty of glue and glue them together so that they don't open again. You can use a clothespin or other clip to hold them together until the glue dries. While it is drying, make a second star in the same way and then let it dry thoroughly. Apply a few dabs of glue to one of them and stick the two stars together with the flat sides facing each other and the points offset. Now all you have to do is glue the string on and your first Swedish paper star can decorate the window, wall or other area.
Make 5-pointed Swedish poinsettias
While the above version has two sides and therefore looks pretty and can be viewed from all sides when hanging freely, the following version is better suited for the wall. If you make this paper star yourself, you will receive a one-sided model that fits perfectly on the wall or other surface due to its straight back.
- Craft cardboard in any color, square
- Scissors
- punch
- cord
If you want to make Swedish stars like this one, start again with a square piece of paper that shouldn't be too soft. Craft cardboard is ideal. Place the square in front of you and fold the bottom edge up to the top once, creating a strip. Then fold the bottom right corner slightly over the middle of the left edge. Then fold the bottom left corner up.
Turn the paper over and fold the far left corner to the bottom right. Turn the paper over again and cut the long tip that is pointing downwards diagonally upwards to the rightmost corner. This lower, cut-off part is your star, which you just have to unfold and shape, punch a hole in a point and attach a string for hanging.
Make and perforate large and small stars yourself
If you make Swedish stars, your stars can of course vary in size. This makes a group of stars even more interesting and authentic. You can easily change the size by using different sized paper squares as the starting material for your selected instructions.
And it's not just with the help of the star size that you can provide variety. Don't you think perforated versions like this are beautiful? You can use a hole punch and other shapes to punch individual patterns into the paper when making Swedish stars. For example, in the first set of instructions, it's best to do this before you fold and glue the points together. With the second star variant, it's best to do this carefully at the very end.
If you want, you can add parchment paper of any color to the inside and over the holes to block the light. Then attach the LED light chain to the inside of the star using adhesive tape. So that you don't have to repeatedly remove the star to turn it on and off, we recommend a string of lights with a timer that turns itself on and off.
A chain of lights can also be wrapped around the star from the outside. This gives the romantic and simple Christmas decorations a certain modern kick and doesn't make them look any less interesting. So after you make Swedish stars as described in the instructions, simply wrap LED fairy lights loosely around the points and let the jewelry shine! Don't value oneilluminated Christmas decorations? Even without lights, the hole pattern looks very attractive.
White star pattern templateto print here.
You can also make Danish stars by first making the individual points and then gluing them together. You can easily draw the template yourself. In the picture below you can see what this should look like and how to fold it after cutting it out. The adhesive tabs are also important, with the help of which you not only stick the individual points together, but also all the finished points to each other. Once you have cut out the first template, you can use it as a template for the other points. In total you need 5 of them.
If you don't feel confident drawing on your own, you can also use the template below and then follow the instructions and make Swedish stars.
Make stars out of paper based on their points
Simple star without wrinkles
You don't care about all the folding, but you still want a nice star decoration for Christmas? No problem at all! Simply cut a star out of cardboard or cardboard and hang it up. It is best to use stronger colored paper or motif paper or stick the star with patterned paper, fabric or washi tape if you have used cardboard and want to cover it. As for the star, you can just use any template for a mockup you like. In the picture above you can see variants with wide spikes. But you can also make narrower and more pointed spikes for Swedish stars.
Make stars in winter for decoration even after Christmas
Or give the 2D star a 3D look by simply cutting it out and then folding it alternately inwards and outwards, as shown in the picture. Super simple, yet extremely attractive!
If you have made a paper star, you can't just hang it up like that. You have another wonderful option if making Swedish stars is a little too simple for you. Gluejust dried flowerswith hot glue to the surfaces. Whether you cover the entire star or just add a few accents here and there is of course up to you.
You can cover the star completely with leaves and create a kind of scale pattern or create entire patterns with colored flowers. The way in which you then present the finished stars can also be quite varied. On the one hand, the pieces of jewelry naturally look wonderful hanging, whether in front of the window, above the dining table or on a wall. Or what do you think of the other idea where the star is attached to a metal rod and then placed in a pot?
Remember that the stars also become heavier as the flowers grow. As a result, they can no longer be easily hung on a window or wall using double-sided adhesive tape. However, you can make Swedish stars and then use string or hooks to hang them up.
Combine different stars made of construction paper
The classic Scandinavian star is without question very elegant and pretty to look at. But perhaps you would like to combine different models in a group. In the following links you will find numerous suggestions, ideas and instructions on how you can make Swedish stars in different shapes. It doesn't matter whether you want to make a 2D or 3D star, fold a star with 6 points or make pretty patterned models. You're sure to find what you're looking for with us!
Make stars for the window or another area
