Make the bird white, and it becomes a dove, which is a symbol of peace. The angels who announced Jesus’ birth on the first Christmas said, “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” It looks rather complicated, but if you have made some of the other ornaments, it uses the same technique, so isn’t really that hard.
Make the bird red, and it becomes a cardinal. The white paper doesn’t show up very well on a white wall, so red is a good choice if the background is light. If you are crafty, you may not even need to download the pattern. If you don’t feel confident, the download will show you where to told the outline of the bird.
These are all the shapes you will need--5 strips the full length of the paper--the width can vary from 1/2 inch to 1 inch. The sixth strip, for the head, can be a bit shorter, or make this one the full length, too, but coil this strip more tightly.
To make the spirals, coil the strip of paper around a skewer, toothpick or nail. If the spiral is too tight, unroll the spiral with your fingers, then roll it back up with your fingers--without the skewer.
Make the head by rolling the short strip into a loose coil.
Make the wing by rolling a strip into a loose coil. Flatten the coil.
Make the stomach by gluing two strips end to end, then rolling the strip into a loose coil. Once the bird is assembled, pinch 2 corners at the top to make it fit the space without gaps.
Make the tail by folding the strip into 3 loops. See downloaded strip for where to fold.
Use the final strip to make the outline of the bird.
Fold the strip in half for the beak.
Glue the ends together, and bend the wing and tail.
Make the forehead above the beak rounded by pulling the paper between you thumb and finger.
Do the same thing under the beak to make the chin round, too.
It still looks more like a rocket ship than a bird!
Press down to make a dip for the neck behind the head on the top of the bird.
It looks a bit more like a bird now.
Press up to make the wing curved.
Press in to make the neck between the head and the stomach on the bottom of the bird.
“Stretch the stomach to make it round.
Pinch between the stomach and the tail to make the tail have a distinct beginning.
Put the head in the space next to the beak.
Put the wing in the curved space at the top.
Put the tail in the space for the tail. Put the stomach into the space for the body. Pinch the two top corners of the stomach spiral to make the parts fit better.
Make any adjustments needed in the various parts, such as twisting a spiral tighter or looser, or making a firmer fold in the outline strip. Glue the spirals in place one at a time. The insides of the spirals tend to fall out when you move it from place to place, so it may be good to glue a strip of paper to the back side to keep this from happening.
Optional: make a branch with leaves--curl the end of one short green strip and press flat to make one leaf at the end of the stem. Cut 2 more short strips--curl both ends of each strip, and press each coil flat. Glue one double coil on the top of the stem, and the other to the bottom of the stem.
Crafts > Crafts for Adults by Season > 15 Paper Christmas Tree Ornaments > Paper Dove or Cardinal Christmas Tree Ornament
Crafts > Crafts for Adults by Season > 15 Paper Christmas Tree Ornaments > Paper Dove or Cardinal Christmas Tree Ornament
