Skull-A-Day 4.0 - Tutorial - #27: Skullflake (Snowflake Skull)

I love making snowflakes every Winter to decorate the windows. This year I decide for Skull-A-Day that I would make a skullflake (snowflake with a skull design incorporated). Here is the tutorial on how I made mine.



SUPPLIES
  • Paper - I used standard white computer paper, but you can use something fancier like origami paper, which would add color and additional patterns to the snowflake. You will have to alter the below directions to accommodate a different shape paper.
  • Scissors - To cut the sides and top
  • Xacto Knife - To cut inner details...more explaination will be in the instructions
  • Pencil and Eraser - For drawing the design before cutting.
  • Iron - For flattening the snow flake after it's done. You can use a standard or craft iron on the non-steam setting.
  • Ironing board - For ironing on...duh.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Lay the paper down on a flat surface...table, lap board, hard floor, etc.

2) Fold the paper horizontally. Match the top corners to the bottom corners. Crease with your fingers. No need for a bone folder, since you will be ironing these creases out later. This will be fold #1




3) With the paper still folded, fold the piece vertically. Match the left corners with the right ones. Crease with your fingers. This will make fold #2.


4) With the paper still folded, fold it in thirds diagonally. You will bring the left fold (#2) over midway on the right side. The corner should extend past the edge a bit. Crease fold. This will make fold #3.

5) To fold the other third, bring fold #1 over to meet fold #3. Crease fold. This will make fold #4.



6) Cut along the edge where marked in the below diagram. You will throw away (or do something else with) the top portion you cut off.

7) Open folds #4 and #3. This will make cutting easier. You will have less layers and have a more accurate design when cutting.

8) Scale the below pattern to the size of your paper, or draw your own design

9) Copy the pattern with your pencil onto the triangles created by the folds. The left side will match up to folds #1 and #3. The right side will match up to folds #2 and #4.

10) Use scissors to cut the designs on the folds, top and bottom point.

11) Use a xacto knife to carefully cut out the inner design (a heart, three dots and four petals).

PATTERN
The red areas are where you will cut.
12) Carefully open the snowflake and press flatish with your hand.

13) With the lowest setting on your iron and with the steam turned off, carefully press your snowflake flat. You will not be moving the iron back and forth. Just set it down on the bent sections of the snowflake for a few seconds at a time. The weight and heat will flatten the snowflake. If any details are skewed, adjust them by hand and press flat.

14) You can tape the snowflake to your window, use a paper clip to hang it or ribbon to hang it.


I would love to see all of your snowflakes you make with this tutorial. Send them to me via email, craftyladyabby@gmail.com.

Happy makery!

Comments

  1. Love this!
    www.craftingrebellion.com

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  2. Had to feature on my site today!
    www.craftingrebellion.com

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  3. I love this, will definitely be having a go at making some of my own! Thanks for sharing :D

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  4. Awesome! Just take your time and have a sharp xacto knife.

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  5. I don't understand step #7 about opening folds 3 and 4. If I do that, then I can't cut through all the layers?? Help!

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  6. This is so cool! Thanks so much for sharing the pattern! I *love* it!!!

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  7. Kristin, with this intricate design, you won't be able to cut through all of the layers. The paper will be too thick to make accurate cuts. If you open the 3rd and 4th fold, you will only be cutting through 4 layers vs 12 layers. This is how I made mine. After you do that, you will have 4 layers and 3 triangle sections. Use the template as a guide for drawing your design. I don't recommend printing out the template, as it isn't a perfect scale. It's just a visual guide. I hope that helps.

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  8. Thanks for sharing this and the person for pinning it on pinterest. Im getting married and we r doing a bike theme wedding.this will be so cool for our wedding. Thanks gina

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    1. You are very welcome. I'm glad you like it. Feel free to email me photos of your wedding skullflakes to craftyladyabby@gmail.com I'd love to see your version, and I'll post them on my blog, with proper credit to you!

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  9. I love this! my fiancee loves Halloween so our house is decorated with a Halloween theme all year long and its hard to incorporate that with Christmas (my favorite holiday) and now this gives me a solution! Thanks so much

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    1. You are very welcome. I hope the tutorial easy for you all to follow!

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  10. have shared this on fb and Reddit!its fab come visit my blog if you have time http://faithsbizzar.blogspot.co.uk/ I make stained glass x This is my sugar skull .http://faithsbizzar.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/im-about-to-solder-this-glass-sugar.html

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    1. Aw, that is so sweet of you! Thanks for sharing it! I love your stained glass sugar skull. It's very beautiful. If you like, submit it to us at Skull-A-Day. We would love to share it with our fans! Info on submissions can be found here. http://www.skulladay.blogspot.com/p/submissions.html

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  11. I love this...have dabbled in papel picado before and wanted to revisit for Halloween...this is perfect!! great design!! love your site by the way!!

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    1. Aw. Thanks! I love doing papel picado. This Skullflake is definitely inspired by that. I've done a few other ones. It's a great technique with fantastic results.

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  12. Hi there! great blog...found you the other day whilst looking for skull papel picado patterns....I especially loved this and gave it a go myself, then printed it out on a bit of fabric before stretching on to canvas, makes for great Halloween art...check it out at http://nostalgiecat.blogspot.co.uk ....I have of course linked back to you(I hope you don't mind I've described you as slightly skull obsessed??It's meant as a compliment!!)...so thanks for a great tutorial...will be popping back again for sure!
    xxjune

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    1. Thanks June! It's a true statement that I'm skull obsessed. I love how you displayed your Skullflake! I'll have to do that with my Skullflake and papel picado. So smart! I second the problem with paper mache. Try sticking those pumpkins outside on a sunny day, to see if the warm sun helps dry them faster.

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  13. This is absolutely awesome, but wicked hard without the Xacto knife. Lol, I was too impatient to wait and go buy one. It turned out rather nice all things considered (I used little hair cutting scissors--proof of how excited I was to try this!). Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. I'm impressed you made one without an xacto knife! Glad you were excited by it!

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  14. This is amazing and stunning! I absolutely love it, very creative. PINNED! :)

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Loreai

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