Paper Candle Christmas Tree Ornament

1. Make the rectangle shaped outline of the candle:

Cut a strip of Paper the length of the paper. Bend it into a ring shape and glue the ends together.

2. Press the ring flat. This becomes a basic leaf shape.

3. Next make the basic leaf shape it into a rectangle by opening the leaf shape, then flatten the ring again about an inch over from the original fold. When you pull it open again, the leaf shape will have been transformed into a rectangle.

Original fold

New fold

4. Make the ribs of the candle in the same way as the outline rectangle, but use shorter strips of paper.

a. Make all 3 strips into rings, and glue the ends.

b. Fold each ring flat into the basic leaf shape. c.Open the leaf shape and fold it flat again one half inch over from the first fold (a trapezoid).

a. b. c.

6. Make the leaves :

a. Make all 4 green strips into rings, and glue the ends.

b.Fold each ring flat into the basic leaf shape.
c. Glue the 4 green leaves to the bottom of the candle as in the photo on the left.

5. Glue all 3 trapezoids inside the candle outline rectangle, equal distances from each other and from the top and bottom of the candle.

7. Make the flame of the candle:.

a. Form the yellow strip into a ring and glue the ends.

b. Fold the yellow ring flat to form the flame of the candle.

c. Glue the yellow flame to the top of the candle.

a. b.

1. 2.

Optional shaping for the candle outline

To make the outline look more like the photo, fold one side of the outline rectangle shorter than the other to make the top of the candle look like it has melted some.

Optional shaping for the flame

Shape the flame by making the side bulge. Pull the paper between your thumb and finger, pressing out where you want the bulge to be.

Crafts > Crafts for Adults by Season > 15 Paper Christmas Tree Ornaments > Paper Candle Christmas Tree Ornament

Candles are an inexpensive way to decorate for the holidays. They are even cheaper if you make them out of paper! Hang this ornament on a tree, or stick it to the wall. Group with a lot of other ornaments on a wall to make a Christmas tree or giant wreath.

If you plan for a classroom of kids to make these, cut out strips of paper with a paper cutter ahead of time, then in class, all the kids have to do is fold and glue them. If you don’t have a paper cutter, use lined notebook paper as a guide, but cut on every other line rather than every line, since the strips would be too narrow if you cut every line. Save time by cutting 3-4 sheets of paper at a time with the same effort as cutting one. You do need a good pair of scissors to do this. The sheets of paper do tend to slide, so readjust the sheets after every few cuts.