Stars & Lanterns

Waldorf education is not my thing.  However, the Waldorf style and Waldorf crafts are beautiful to me.  Waldorf paper stars in particular are some of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.  I would love to plaster every window and door in my house with them!




Not only are they gorgeous....but they're EASY too.  Even the most complex looking star is just five or more simpler pieces of folded paper.  The overlapping parts look a lot more complicated than they actually are, and a number of interesting effects can be achieved by mixing colors or changing small details.

This star is made of coffee filters painted with watercolours.

Materials can vary.  The ideal being kite paper...which is NOT available locally as far as I, or anyone else I know, can tell.  Origami paper also works well.  I particularly like Fold 'Ems brand that has a variety of paper that is colored on both sides.  Tissue paper can work too as well as dyed coffee filters.  Coffee filters and tissue paper are the cheapest option, though the filters hold of a LOT better than tissue while folding.  Plus the watercolour effect is lovely.



Now down to the actual folding....I started with the basic instructions in The Children's Year (which is a great resource for amazing Waldorfy crafts.  More complex looking, but still very simple stars can be found in Window Stars: Making folded stars from colored papers (which was originally offered in a star making kit from Hearth Song's toy catalog.  Then the REALLY neat ones (like the ones pictured here) came from a book called Magical Window Stars which I will soon be the proud owner of (thank you Stephanie!).



For some starter tutorials on the web, check out the following:
Duo Fiberworks - Window Star Tutorial
Gardenmama - A Tutorial For Waldorf Window Stars
Arwen Art - Five Tissue Paper Stars

 And then there's lanterns...which are a whole other post!  :)