These three-dimensional stars are made out of paper. They look just like expensive metal ones, so why pay more when you can make them out of paper? The red ones are made out of A4 sized paper (U.S. letter works, too), but the middle one requires bigger paper, such as poster board. You can search the internet for a star pattern, or make your own:
These stars look great as a wall decoration or on a door in place of a wreath. Stars are good for 4th of July celebrations, but they work well for Christmas, too. Just change the colors from red and blue to red and green or red and white. (toward the bottom of this page, you can see stars on a door in a photo with a balloon bouquet.)
Stand-up paper stars can make an inexpensive centerpiece. Cut 2 paper stars out of the same color of paper. Cut a slit half way down the middle of one star, and half way up to the middle (from the bottom) of the other star. Slide them together on the slits, and make them stand up. If they don’t quite slide all the way together, pull them apart, and cut the slit farther. If the stars don’t stand, try making them out of stiffer paper. Make several sizes and colors of stars for a more interesting centerpiece. See photo below, right.
Be sure to test all colored paper by putting a scrap of each kind of paper on a wet paper towel. If the color doesn’t bleed, you are safe. If it does bleed, don’t use a cloth tablecloth, or it might get stained if someone spills their drinks.
view how to make a star pattern
Note: these stand-up stars will not stand if the paper is folded. So if you use this folded star pattern, go ahead and follow the instructions to make the pattern , then lay the star pattern on top of the colored paper, and cut out around the outside edge of the star to make the stars for the standing centerpiece.
In a large hall, these centerpieces look pretty small, so you can add some height to the tables with some balloon bouquets. The standing stars look kind of pitiful all by themselves, so add more embellishments to make them more interesting. You can start by adding a contrasting color under them with either a cloth or paper runner. Then add some colored paper streamers. Cut colored paper into narrow strips and glue 2 strips end to end. Next curl one half with scissors. The strips look best if they start under the point of a star, and run parallel to each other. Scatter more paper stars on the tables.
Paper stars may not look very exciting if they are used by themselves on a wall or door. But if you layer them on top of fan-style discs, they look great! Group several together, and they can decorate a really big space. The stars will look even more interesting it you layer them on slightly larger stars of a different color.
Strongly contrasting colors show up best. If you are putting them on a light colored wall or door, make the stars a lighter color and the discs a darker color so they contrast well against the wall. For Christmas, use red and white only, or red, white and green.
Make cheap candle holders out of cans. Wrap white or colored paper around full cans (no need to open and empty them.) Cut the paper to fit and tape or glue the paper onto itself rather than onto the can. Cut strips of contrasting paper and glue them over the base color. Cut stars out of another color of paper and glue them on top of the stripes. If your candles are the same height, you can vary the height by using cans that are different heights (bottom photo).
Note: If you make these sleeves slightly loose, you can side them off of the cans, and use them again next year.
Smaller stand-up stars can decorate the plates, too. Make these in the same way as the big ones: cut 2 stars the same size, then cut a slit to the middle of each star, one slit from the top, and the other slit from the bottom. Slide the slits together and make the star stand up.
You can use stars as place card holders. Write each guest’s name on the star, or on a strip of paper around the napkin. You could even write a verse on each star, or a question the guests will answer during the meal. Questions could be about themselves (be careful not to ask any embarrassing questions!) or they could be a riddle about the holiday,
Make star-shaped napkin rings by gluing a paper star to a ring of paper, then slide it over the rolled napkins. In the photo shown here, the two ends of the napkin were rolled to the middle like a scroll. A verse or hidden message could be rolled up inside the napkin. It could even be a coupon for a door-prize for one of the guests. If you prefer to make them longer lasting, cut them out of felt instead of paper.
For a simple way to decorate, cut out paper stars of various colors and shapes. Sprinkle them all over the table and on napkins and plates. Instead of flowers, make a centerpiece of color-coordinated balloons. The vase is an empty plastic bottle, with some water to make it heavy enough to not fall over. Poster board is wrapped around the bottle and taped. More paper stars and stripes are glued onto this sleeve. If you don’t have a table runner, make a paper runner with several sheets of colored paper laid end to end. The stars on the door are folded to make them 3-D, as mentioned at the top of this page.
view how to make a star pattern
Crafts > Crafts for Adults by Materials > Paper Party Decorations > Paper Star Party Decorations
Crafts > Crafts for Adults by Materials > Paper Party Decorations > Paper Star Party Decorations