Playful Pinwheels- Paper Folding Party, Day 1

Eek! So excited to get this week started! Welcome to day one of The How-To Gal's Paper Folding Party.

My obsession with paper is no a secret. If I could cover my car in a fancy paper, I totally would. Unfortunately, Mr. How-To doesn't think floral mod podge on our Honda Civic is the best idea :)

Even as a young girl, I would fold and create paper creations for my friends. Starburst and candy bar wrappers would end up in some funky origami shape.

Fast forward to now. I am still a paper folding fiend, just now I try to work it into my home decor. Thus my idea for this party! Ready to get started?

The Playful Paper Pinwheel

What you need:

• Paper
• Double sided tape
• Paper cutter or scissors
• Glue
• 3m wall mounts

Cut your paper to desired length and thickness. Step one depends on how large you want your pinwheel to be. I made a few different sizes:

12in diameter- I cut a 12in x 12in piece of paper in half and used both pieces (pinwheel shown in following steps)
7 1/2 in diameter- I cut a 12in x 12in pieces of paper into thirds and used all three pieces
14 1/2 in diameter-Used 4 12in x 12in pieces of paper with a 4 1/2 in cut of one side. Helpful hint: this pinwheel was SUPER tight and looks more like a circle, so perhaps use another piece or two pieces of paper.
6 in diameter- Used the leftover pieces (2) from my 14in pinwheel

Begin folding your paper like an accordion. I used patterned paper so I started with my pattern down so as I folded, the pattern became the top.

Keep folding the entire piece of paper. The width of your folds determines how tight your pinwheel is.

If you are making the 12in diameter pinwheel, fold one more piece.

Connect the two pieces. I like to interlock the folds and secure with double sided tape (love that stuff!)
Helpful hint: To interlock your folds, find an end that points down and attach to an end pointing up. They slide together quite nicely this way and you minimize bulk. If your pieces don't end up matching this way, simply cut one fold off to create the effect.

Continue step 5 until all of your pieces are connected. This would be the step where you can experiment with sizes.

Connect the ends with another strip of double sided tape forming this star burst.

Gently push the center down.

Put glue in the center of your pinwheel (I used tacky glue) and hold in place for a few minutes. Let dry with a paperweight to keep it flat. After about an hour your pinwheel will be dry and ready to hang!


Sending linky love to these parties: The Girl Creative, The DIY Show-Off, Twice Remembered