DIY Paper Snowflake Trees

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These DIY paper snowflake trees will add vintage beauty to your Christmas display. They can be made to be free-standing or hanging!

Look, I know what you’re thinking.

Oh my gawd! Another tree project? It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, fer cryin’ out loud! 

And you have every right to think that.

But! Here’s the thing…

My babes keeps showing me all sorts of amazing tree projects, and she gets soooo excited about them that she starts dancing around and singing like this:

lo lo lololo

She sang it for the Mambo Yarn trees.

She sang it again when we were making our faux fur trees.

And she sang it to me over the weekend when she proposed these DIY paper snowflake trees.

Now, I realize that those 5 syllables of song scribbled above probably mean nothing to you.

But to me?

To me, lo lo lololo is the sound of joy.

It’s the sound my babes makes when she’s so very happy, and just so you understand lo lo lololo better, I’ll tell you where it comes from.

(And then you’ll know how to sing it, too.)

As you know, Handan is a Turk, and they don’t celebrate Christmas in Turkey.

In fact, Handan’s first real Christmas was here, in this house, in 2013. (She lived in Romania for a time when Barish was very small, and they celebrate Christmas there, but her family back then did not celebrate Christmas.) All that fall and all throughout December of 2013, we listened to Christmas carols on Pandora.

All the classic carols, every evening, every day.

Handan got to know them by heart.

Well, she got to know the melodies by heart.

The lyrics?

Ahem, those are a different story, and that’s a story for another time.

So she’d sing snatches of Christmas songs here and there, and one of her favorites was always fa la lalala lala la la.

Over the years she shortened it (fa la lalala).

And then she changed (la la lalala).

And then she changed it just a little more until it was lo lo lololo.

The “lo” isn’t pronounced like “low,” but more like, “law.”

It’s her Turkish pronunciation of an American classic, and she sings that snippet whenever she’s happy, and whenever she’s happy, all is merry and all is bright.

So when she sings that song, I don’t care what she’s asking.

She’s going to get it.

Now, as is usually the case this time of year, Handan is up to her virtual ears each night in online catalogs. You’ve never seen a web browser with so many tabs open! Between Pinterest and online catalogs, it’s a wonder her laptop hasn’t vanished in a puff of smoke.

And poor me sitting next her trying to watch TV, only to be interrupted every 5 minutes.

Handan: “Hey babes, can you make this?” [Turns her laptop my way]

Me: [Hits Pause. Looks over. Mumbles concomitantly. Presses Play]

[Five minutes later]

Handan: “Hey babes, can you make this?” [Turns her laptop my way]

Me: [Hits Pause. Looks over. Mumbles concomitantly. Presses Play]

And so on.

But then she found these trees on Wayfair:

And instead of “Hey babes,” I heard, “lo lo lololo!”

My ears pricked up.

I looked over.

I saw the trees.

I looked up.

I saw her eyes.

Then once more, “lo lo lololo!”

“Okay, my babes,” I said. “We’ll make those trees.”

*******

Now then, let’s get back to your complaint about “Too many dadgum Christmas trees, and it ain’t even Thanksgivin’ yet!”

Madam, I hear your thoughts loud and clear. And as I live to serve, I have created (just for you) a simple, affordable and absolutely adorable Thanksgiving craft that you’ll be proud to hang in your home (or on your refrigerator) for many years seasons weeks days moments. You’ll find it at the end of this post.

But first, let’s make some paper snowflake trees!

materials for paper snowflake trees

DIY Paper Snowflake Trees

I’ll show you how to make two types of trees today: free-standing and hanging. Let’s start with…

Free-standing trees

First, decide how many trees you want (lots), then pick your cardstock, choose your snowflake designs and let your Cricut do the walking all over that stock!

cricut machine cutting cardstock

Handan’s Hints: Before cutting, make sure you resize the SVG file to 11.5 inches on the longest side (width or height, whichever is the longest.)

Once Cricut cuts them, you’ll weed them, and then you can stack them in neat little piles like we did!

christmas cardstock cut into snowflake patterns for trees

By the way, did you notice how old our bamboo skewers are? Check out that price tag! Handan found these at a tag sale a few years ago. I love that they’re made by Acme. It always makes me think of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

Meep meep.

old package of bamboo skewers

Okay, grab a skewer and make sure it’s straight. Our package had a lot of bent and crooked ones, but what can you expect from such vintage wood?

wooden skewer and paper snowflake

Starting with the smallest snowflake, pierce the middle with the stabby end of the skewer and slide it about 2/3 of the way up (we used 12 inch skewers).

piercing a paper snowflake with a bamboo skewer
piercing a paper snowflake with a bamboo skewer
making paper snowflake trees

To separate the snowflakes, you can use either beads or spools. For the free-standing trees, we preferred the spools. But hey, what do I know?

sliding a bead onto a skewer

If you answered nuthin’ – you win a prize!

Okay, have you ever made shish kebab? Yeah?

These trees are no different.

Well, except you’re not going to grill and eat them when you’re done.

Other than that – no different.

But here’s a little trick if you have some of those large corks: flip one over and use it as a backstop for the stabby end of the skewer. It’ll save you from repeatedly skewing your fingertips.

Ask me how I know.

making paper snowflake christmas trees
making paper snowflake christmas trees

Just keep making your kebab…

making paper snowflake trees

Flake, spool, flake, spool, flake, spool…

making paper snowflake trees

After you stab and slide your last flake, slide on one more spool and a couple of beads. Or use all beads. Or use a bigger spool. Totally up to you!

making paper snowflake trees

If you’re using a cork base, use a skewer to open a hole for your paper snowflake tree.

sticking a skewer into a cork

When it’s deep enough, slide your tree into the hole.

making a paper snowflake christmas tree

Madam, you’re a winning combination of Aces and Wildfire. Kudos to you!

But your tree…?

It’s got a little something sticking out of its top…

And it’s looking a little rigid.

Let’s fix that, shall we? Hmmmm?

making a paper snowflake christmas tree

Okay first let’s loosen this tree up a little bit. It looks like it’s standing at attention in a military lineup. It’s Christmas! This tree should be guzzling eggnog, telling dirty jokes and pinching Aunt Cornelia’s butt!

To relax those tensed-up branches, just grab and yank.

making a paper snowflake christmas tree

Gently, madam! Don’t overdo it with the grabbing and yanking!

making a paper snowflake christmas tree

Once you’ve mellowed your fir, so to speak, you can dispense with the extra wood jutting from the top.

If you’re going to be topping your tree with a wooden star, then you’ll want to trim the skewer flush with the topmost snowflake.

making a paper snowflake christmas tree

Word to the wise: don’t point that skewer at anyone you value. Maybe it was due to the wire cutter I used, but that end piece shot like a missile across the room!

Put a little dab of hot glue on the tip.

gluing a star onto a paper snowflake tree

And then stick your star topper on your paper snowflake tree.

gluing a star onto a paper snowflake tree

Ta-da!

gluing a star onto a paper snowflake tree

Madam, they’ll sing songs of your crafting skills for centuries to come!

Okay, maybe you’re not a star kinda girl. Maybe you like red balls instead?

Well then, you’ve come to the right place!

If you’d like to top your tree with a little red ball, then you’ll want to leave a little of the skewer sticking up when you trim it.

making a paper snowflake christmas tree

Again, I urge caution! I nearly pelted a lampshade right off its base. Scared the bejeezus out of poor little Pepper sleeping underneath.

Now, I just plopped the bead on the skewer and called it a day, but of you’d like to add a drop of hot glue to the skewer first, I don’t think anyone will give you the stink-eye in the checkout line at the grocery store.

making a paper snowflake christmas tree

And you know what? You just made one with a cork base. Let’s try something different.

Did you notice in the picture just before the supplies list there was one of those vintage alphabet blocks? That’s the only one we have (lord only knows where Handan came across that one). But if you have some of those, and if they’re old and worn, they’d make perfect bases for these vintage style paper snowflake trees!

We made most of ours with, ummm, what do you call those things? You know, those blocks with a hole drilled smack through the middle? Are they beads? Blocks? The crafting world is a baffling place for a man. We spent an hour in Hobby Lobby buying this little thing and that little thing, and not once did I see a beer vendor or a hot dog cart.

Baffling, I say.

Anyway, you can finish off after the last flake however you’d like.

making paper snowflake trees

Then squeeze some glue in the cubehole (I don’t know what else to call it).

making a paper christmas tree

Stick the skewer in and let it set! Just don’t let it get glued to the table. You may want to slide it around a bit while the glue cools off.

making a paper snowflake tree

Good, good! We’ve covered the free-standing trees. Now let’s take a gander at the…

Hanging paper snowflake trees

The concept is similar to the free-standing trees, but these will use twine or string instead of skewers, and you’re going to build them backwards. First, thread your twine through a sewing needle. I spent 20 minutes trying to thread the damn thing shown below, but trying to thread that needle with hairy twine was like me trying to squeeze into my bachelor clubbing pants—wasn’t happening.

So what’s a guy to do when he can’t do something?

Yep. I ran to my wife to fix it for me. She threaded it in 3 seconds flat.

needle and twine

Like with the free-standing paper snowflake trees, you can get creative with your beads. I started with 2 medium round ones. These would be at the bottom. Make sure you slide them up a good distance – you want to have enough room for the tree and enough twine for hanging.

making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees

Starting with the largest snowflake, thread it onto the twine, this time stabbing from the backside.

making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees

Push it back towards the beads.

making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees

We found for the hanging trees, two small round beads looked better than spools in between each snowflake, but feel free to experiment!

making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees

Just keep poking and threading…

making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees
making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees
making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees
making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees

To top these hanging trees, you’ll need to use a bead of some sort, since the stars aren’t drilled.

Cut the bottom twine, but leave some slack.

making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees

Handan had a great idea to hang tassels from the bottom of these hanging paper snowflake trees. We made some rustic tassels by cutting several 6-7 inch lengths of twine, folding them over and then tying them off as shown below.

rustic twine tassel

Thread the bottom end of the twine through the tassel loop and tie it off.

making hanging paper snowflake christmas trees

Huzzah! You’ve done it again, madam!

hanging paper snowflake tree

Okay enough work – let’s go look at some pretty pictures, shall we?

*******

Now then.

About that adorable Thanksgiving craft I promised earlier.

Here ya go…

First, paint your hand like so:

Then slap it down on a piece of paper.

Hmmmm, that doesn’t look at all like the examples I found online. Maybe my hand is too old for this?

Okay, nevermind. Grab a brush and fill in the blanks.

That’s better.

Finally, add some details.

It seems that in copying the efforts of 5-year-olds online, I have inadvertently created a chicken-headed turkey.

So, shall we call it a churkey or a turken?

Either way, I’ll bet it’s delicious!

*******

Now it’s time to click on the button below to download today’s freebies – these 5 snowflake SVG files are all in the “Christmas” and “Stencils – SVGs” section of The VIP Patch.

TNP Download Freebie - Printable

If you’re not a Navage Patch VIP, you won’t be able to access our Freebies Library. But that can be easily fixed! Subscribe for free on the form below and become a Navage Patch VIP. Once you subscribe, a password will be sent to you in our Welcome email, and that will give you access to The VIP Patch [Freebies Library]. If you didn’t receive our Welcome email, can’t find the password or have any other questions on this process or on our free printables, please check our Printables FAQ page.

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55 Comments

    1. These are adorable. I admit my first thought was.. I bet this is another cricut project, something most people don’t have. I’m happy you’re enjoying yours so much though. I happen to have one but I’m the only person I know who does & like peas in a pod, most of my friends are very crafty. Maybe something to think about going forward.

  1. Handon and Greg, I love the things you create and share. You two are amazing. I pray you have a wonderful Holiday season. I hope every Christmas just keeps getting better and better for you Handon. I am sure that is the way Jesus would want it. Hugs to you both.

  2. It is not too early for Christmas! Now is the perfect time for Christmas crafts and decorating! Then you have more time for Christmas baking, shopping and spending time with friends and family!

  3. Although I do not have a cricut I may consider one lol, hubby thinks I own enough craft stuff. But those are so stinking cute. Really if you think about it you could use them all year round, or make them for different occasions, like black and orange trees for halloween, or pastel colors for easter. Cute Idea will have to save it for my someday. Thanks for all your great stuff.

    1. Yes yes yes! You need one, and Christmas is right around the corner! But really, why wait for Christmas? You need to decorate NOW, so how about asking the hubs for a Thanksgiving present?? Good idea, yes? 😀

      1. What if you don’t have a “hubs” or anyone else to buy you one? 🙂
        I don’t and can’t afford a Cricut machine, though I would love one! I may just have to try this with paper doilies instead.
        Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas!

  4. These make me sing lo lololo too. I love how they look. I wonder if they will pack well though without getting crushed. I so have to get a Cricut machine when I redo my craft area.

  5. I love the trees! And the turkey is cute 🙂 We have a collection of different sizes of ‘hand turkeys’ made from construction paper from my son’s time in daycare many years ago. His daycare mom also did ‘hand and foot reindeer’ by tracing/cutting out his foot and hands from construction paper for the reindeer head and antlers, and added googly eyes and a red pompom nose. They are so fun to bring out every year and see how he grew every year. He is now 26 with a size 14 shoe, so we could make porch decorations out of them 🙂 Hmmm, that gives me an idea – it might be cute to make some from plywood for the porch …

  6. I love these trees and the story about Handan’s singing. 🙂 I’ve been wanting to get a Cricut and this might just push me over the edge. ha! Thanks sharing and continually inspiring me.

  7. Another wonderful and fun project from you. By the way, Greg, I’m with Handan…you can never have enough trees, or Christmas. It is the best and most wonderful time of the year! I was so happy to read a recent study that said people who decorate early for Christmas are the happiest.

    1. Thank you, Linda! Oh, I definitely believe that study! As soon as I turn on the Christmas carol station, Handan is singing and decorating and happy!

  8. I honestly cannot get enough of reading your blog! You can uplift anyone’s spirits. Your projects are fantastic as well as your stories. Keep up the great work and thank you a million times over for the joy you bring to many of us!!

  9. Yet ANOTHER original, clever craft from you two, and this one is SO original and comes at just the perfect time (retail is tired of buffalo plaid) that I predict it may even be the “Old Chevy Truck” of Christmas 2020 and be a huge moneymaker for you, it’s THAT good! So we’ll see! So don’t be surprised to see scads of copies of your beautiful hanging paper snowflake trees in big box stores near you by next Halloween!

  10. Ok, first of all, I shouldn’t be reading this at work! Number 1, I am at work! Number 2, I can’t rush out to Hobby Lobby! These are the cutest! And with me being about a 4-5 on the crafting scale, I may be able to pull this off!!! And btw, I love the running commentary! That makes the post! You guys are great! I look forward to your posts/emails every day! Thank you for sharing your talents and your humor, (we need more humor in our lives, don’t we?) You guys are a blessing to me and I am sure to countless others! I know it’s a little early but Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas to you and your family! Thank you for being you!

    1. Well I’m so happy to be a part of your work day, Holley! Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. Handan and I wish you and your family all the joy in the world this holiday season! 🙂

  11. lo lo lololo around here means that it is Halloween. We have a zombie girl (which as been named Suzzzann, after Susan in Monsters vs. Aliens) that sings it and the little kids (under 4) just love her and will go through the neighborhood singing it. So needless to say it caught my attention and loved reading all about Handan and her holiday singing 🙂

  12. Very nice, cute trees. Don’t have a Cricut and don’t craft enough to bay one. Love your site esp. the history of your family and your side stories. Jan

  13. “Between Pinterest and online catalogs, it’s a wonder her laptop hasn’t vanished in a puff of smoke.”
    when you wrote that I spit coffee out! I wonder the same with my own laptop!
    LOVE the trees, no circuit 🙁 but they are amazing.
    x0

  14. Hi there! These are freakin adorable and i appreciate a picture for each step but the minute you said “cricut” i knew i would not be able to make them. You did a great job! Deck the halls!
    Cheryl

    1. Hi Cheryl – thank you so much! Perhaps someday you’ll have a Cricut, and then you can make all the fun and amazing things, too! 🙂

  15. So….I am not on your level. I had to google “cricut machine”. I do love your ideas and am thankful for all that you share!

  16. For those without a Cricut, snowflakes can be made easily by folding paper and cutting out bits. Remember doing that in primary school? Just use a smaller piece of paper each time to get a graduated set of snowflakes. Of course it will take longer, but the kids could get involved and they would really be one of a kind!

    These are honestly gorgeous! And the natural, vintage look is in big time for Christmas this year. Which makes me especially happy as it is really just my style. Plus it gives us all a chance to get back to old traditions of making our decorations, rather than buying cheap baubles that look uninteresting and factory-made.

    1. That’s a great idea, Jay! I totally agree with you about the importance of making decorations. They become so much more personal and valuable than the latest batch of China’s Finest Plastic!

  17. I;ve downloaded the svg and also the jpg files of the snowflakes.. but when I load it into my cricut maker and go to create it..its says ‘project incompatible’..and wants me to reduce the size to 23.5 x 11.5 ???? what am I doing wrong ?? 🙁

    1. Hi Sandy, once uploaded to Cricut, each SVG file (or PNG or JPG as they’re all the same size) needs to be reduced to 11.5 inch on the longest side (width or height whichever is the longest.)
      The reason the file sizes are bigger than what Cricut would normally accept is because I always work with high resolution files. Hence each file needs to be resized by adjusting the number in the size section (shown in red rectangle in the picture below) after uploading to Cricut.Resizing the SVG on Cricut Design Space

  18. Thank you Handan and Greg!
    That’s so special that Handan gets to celebrate Christmas! We had a former neighbor that was Jewish, who then married a Christian, so then he had a “reason” to celebrate Chrismas! He really got into the whole spirit, especial with his Christmas tree!
    I AM a tad unsure about how many snowflakes should be used for each tree, however.

    1. Oh, she really loves it, too. In fact, as I write this reply on a Saturday morning, we’re sitting in our family room listening to Christmas carols! 🙂 Okay, about the trees – each has 11 snowflakes. In the VIP Patch, there are two files for each snowflake design – 5 on one, 6 on the other.

  19. Hi, I made these a couple of years ago, no cricut needed! I found snowflake patterns on Pinterest then used some books from the dollar tree store to cut them out( old school I know, but I’m old!) my husband bought me a cricut for Christmas last year, I’m sorry to say I still haven’t used it! Maybe I’ll get the nerve to try it this year!
    Thanks for your blog, it always makes me laugh! You two are so cute and fun! I’ve just spent two hours reading it!
    Happy Fall!

    1. Hi Terry, your way works perfectly for these trees! As for your Cricut – this is the year you learn how to use it! We’re going to be giving away tons of great SVG files in the future, so you’re going to want to get in on the action!

  20. I LOVE these trees!
    BUT Greg, . . . “So when she sings that song, I don’t care what she’s asking.
    She’s going to get it.” You put it out there in writing, Where anybody can read it!
    You are going to be a very busy boy for a long time!

    Now excuse me, but I have to cut some snowflakes.

  21. Loved this project altho I am Cricut ignorant. Looking at the SVGs, I immediately thought–oh, 2 of the same side (or 3 or 4) with a slit cut up the center would make a great 3-D snowflake-orb. Knowing me, I’d add a bit of glitter caz that’s just how I am!

  22. As always, I’m amazed by your creativity. I always enjoy your craft projects, especially when they involve items from the dollar store since many of us are on a tight budget Speaking of a tight budget, it appears (after reading this thread) that many of us don’t own a Cricut. I see an Etsy “for sale” project for someone: make and sell these snowflakes so those of us that are “Cricutless” can make these trees too (or would it be illegal to use your design to sell things?). Lastly, as much as I enjoy your projects it’s your hilarious writing that I love! Also, Handan is a lucky woman. Would you be willing to clone yourself? Christmas is coming. Hint, hint. 😉 Happiest of holidays to you all!

  23. (1) How many snowflakes are cut for one tree; and (2) why are there 2 SVG files (A and B) for each of the five (5) snowflakes??

    1. Hi Diana, you need to download both SVG files (A and B) of the snowflake pattern you like, and cut both A and B files (which will give you 11 different size snowflakes) to be able to make a snowflake tree. I hope this answers of both your questions.