Hi everyone, nice to be back with you again! It's Riikka from Paperiliitin here with you today. I'm sharing some winter or Christmas stars, which I made using Lynne Perrella stamps. These could be used as gift tags, decorations, or even posted as a greeting along with a little note.
The steps to create these are quite simple and straight forward. The trickiest part in creating these is the paperfolding as the star is a bit dimensional origami-style one. Naturally, you can skip the folding part and just make the stars flatter, but in my opinion the bulkiness gives a nice touch to the decorations!
I used mixed media to create the base paper for my stars and to be honest, that was the most time consuming stage. So, if you are in a hurry or want to make a bunch of stars for your own tree or to be given as presents, maybe use patterned paper instead. Although, I do think that the matching stamping in the base and the focal point brings everything together nicely!
But let's get going with the process!
Here are the main supplies I used in these stars: 160g cardstock, blue ink and embossing powder, Just Walnut (CS25) Infusions and Fresco Finish acrylic paint Gold (FF20). For the stamp set I chose the beautiful LPC020 and used the angel as my focal point and the two instruments to pattern the background.
As you can see, my color palette is limited. Blue and brown combo is one of my favorite ones! With a touch of gold added to the mix, the combo felt even a bit regal. I think I don't have to stress that by changing the colors, you can play with the atmosphere of the ready decorations.
I started the project by creating a patterned paper of my own. Like I stated earlier, while this brings everything nicely together and adds that personal touch throughout the project, this is the stage to skip if you have time constrains.
First I stamped a repeating pattern onto my cardstock using a blue ink. While the ink was still wet, I coated the motif using a blue embossing powder and melted the powder with a heat tool. While creating the pattern, I alternated between the two instruments. I didn't measure the places but instead just eyeballed the placement.
Next step was to add another color on top. I first sprayed the papers with water and sprinkled some "Just Walnut" Infusion (CS25) on top. As you can see from the picture below, even though I had coated the motifs with a layer of embossing powder, some of the ink was bleeding when the paper was wet. I didn't mind at all, as I really like the combo. However, if you are using stark contrasting colors or just dislike the bleeding, use either just embossing ink or swap to a permanent ink.
I colored not only the patterned side of the cardstock but the flip side as well using the "Just Walnut" Infusions (CS25). The reverse can be more haphazard, just adding some color there as it's next to none visible in the ready craft. But just to make sure, I added some color there to avoid the stark white from showing.
As you can see from the photo below, I didn't want a nice monotone coloring to the paper but instead tried to create the look of water damage on an old book. While the Infusions layer was still wet, I flicked some drops of water onto it. This then caused the colorant to pool and form lines. I then let the paper dry almost completely and added another set of flicks, this time using an Infuse dilution. This is how I got some darker splashes here and there.
The last step I did in this stage was to cut the papers into rectangles. I used A4 (21x29,7cm) sized cardstock in my make, so I cut the squares to 21x21cm. These resulted stars with a diameter of about 12,5 cm. The diameter is approximately 60% of the size of the paper. So, if you want the stars to be bigger, you need to use a bigger paper.
Now I had by bases done and cut, what I then needed was the embellishments coming on top and then to fold the actual stars.
When choosing the LPC020 as my stamp set, I envisioned the angel as the center of attention. To match her to the patterned piece I had created, I used the same blue ink and embossing powder as in previous step. I stamped the angel a couple of times to 160g cardstock and then coated the images using embossing powder.
To color the angels I used "Just Walnut" Infusions (CS25) together with Fresco Finish acrylic paint Gold (FF20). I colored the halo and the costume using gold and hair and face with Infusions. For the hair I made a darker solution but for the face I added just a hint of color. I used a small brush to apply the colors to the stamped images.
As the cheeks are quite prominent in the stamp design, I wanted to add rosy cheeks to the angels. For that I used an ink like a watercolor to add a touch of peachy rose to the motifs. I also cut the angels loose.
Just to make sure there was no white showing from the back of the angels, I added some Infusions (CS25) there, too. As you can see, I didn't bother with the center as I knew it would be glued to the star.
If you are making bigger stars compared to the ones I made, this stage is purely optional. With bigger stars, you are less likely to see the flip side of the angels. In this size, however, the tips of the wings as well as the back of her head can be seen from the reverse.
Then came the tricky part - folding the star. I googled "origami star" and found several tutorials on how to fold the star. It involved folding and cutting the sheet into a pentagon and then turning it into a five pointed star. I used this video tutorial (link)
I used 160g cardstock in my make and it was ok. This cardstock is my go to for everything. While a bit sturdier cardstock was needed because of the mediums and I wanted the finished pieces to feel sturdy enough to be hung in a tree, I would say the 160g is probably the maximum weight. If possible, preferably use something like 130g, perhaps.
Another tip - pay close attention to the orientation of the paper in the first couple of folds. Because, if you look closely, you can spot my mistake in the upper star. You see that line in the point facing thee o'clock position? Well, I had to tape my pentagon together! Making a wrong turn in the beginning namely meant that instead of a nice pentagon with a fold in the middle, I got two halves of a pentagon! With my earthy, worn brown color palette I was able to pull it off with a piece of masking tape, but depending your color scheme and pattern, it might be trickier.
Like I said earlier, if the folding seems tricky, you can always just cut the star shapes out of flat paper.
As the last step, it was then time to just combine the two elements together. I first added a length of a ribbon to the flatter side of the star. Then a touch of golden embroidery thread to add some softness and glimmer before adding the angel on top.
By changing the colors or the style of the ribbon, you can play with the atmosphere of the final ornament. Try traditional red and green with a wider organza ribbon or go for a modern twist with silver, pearls and wire. Only your imagination is the limit!
Ta daa! Here they are! A trio of star ornaments or dashing gift tags.
As you can see, the pattern I created in the beginning with the two instruments doesn't show that much in the final stars. You can see the pattern a bit better on the flip side, though. If you wish the pattern to be more visible, bring in another PaperArtsy stamp set and use smaller designs or a background stamp that covers a bigger area.
If you do the patterned paper yourself, you may end up with several off cuts. What to do with those? Well, perhaps turn them into a Holiday greeting card!
I created one with almost the same elements as the stars. The background in the card is a piece of cardstock painted using the Fresco Finish acrylic paint Gold (FF20). On top is a doily and then a strip I cut from the patterned paper while making it into a square. The focal element is the same as in the ornaments: the angel with some embroidery thread and a ribbon running across.
A little hand made ornament and a bag of sweets could make a great gift for neighbors or friends this year. All you need to do, is choose the colors and then get creating!
Thank you so much for stopping by today! Wishing you a magical Holiday season and great start to the new year 2026!
Xoxo Riikka
