Paper Bauble - Tutorial

IHello again, my friends! As promised, I'm going to show you how to make this fun paper bauble which I posted on Friday for my DT project for PolkaDoodle Challenge "Inspired By A Christmas Carol".


1. Cut out 20 circles out of patterned paper of the same design or a combination. You can use a die or a punch to cut out the circles but make sure they are all the same size. For my sample, I used a 2" die. Also, cut / punch 1 extra circle out of plain paper which will serve as a template.

2. Make a triangle template. Take the plain circle and fold it in half horizontally and vertically so that the circle is creased into quarters (circle 1 below). Fold each side to meet the centre starting at the bottom (circle 2 below).  Next fold down the top right, followed by the top left, each time meeting at the centre. (circle 3 below). Cut along the crease lines and you will end up with an equilateral triangle. This is your template (circle 4 below)

3. Place the template on the circle, with the pattern facing up, and fold up the circle along the sides of the triangle. Make sure you get a good crease on the circle to match the triangle template.

 4. Repeat this on all the remaining circles.

5. Start by glueing 5 circles at the folded flaps, as shown below. This will form the "lid" of the bauble.

6. Cut some twine or thin ribbon, fold in half and tie a knot to make a loop.

7. Carefully pass the loop through the middle of the "lid". Use a needle or pokey tool to help you push. Pull the loop through until it stops at the knot ...

... and the "lid" is now ready.

8.  Next, glue 10 circles together in a strip - this will form the body of the bauble. Then, glue the remaining 5 circles in the same way as for the "lid" to make the bottom.

 9. Finally, assemble the bauble by gluing the top 5 flaps of the strip to the 5 free flaps of the "lid". This will leave you with 5 free flaps (see below) which you will glue to the free flaps of the bottom piece, thereby closing the bauble and completing the sphere.

10. Your bauble is now ready! If you are a math buff, you'll probably recognise this as an icosahedron-based geodesic sphere. (Yes! I just spoilt the magic by dragging geometry into the equation. My bad!)

So there you have it my friends! Once you make the first, it gets easier to make the rest. The time consuming part of this project is the prep work: cutting and folding 20 circles. Cheap labour is the only solution! So get those kids "gainfully" employed, while you give them a lesson in complex geometry. Win-win situation! Yes I know...I'm a natural with kids! LOL

Thank you for stopping by and have a blessed Sunday.

Beijinhos!