I learned to make paper cut snowflakes in Mrs. Johnson’s third grade class, although the snowflakes I cut out then were not as small or an intricate as the ones I make now.  The important thing I learned was how to fold a piece of paper so as to have six-fold symmetry.

I have remained fascinated by snowflakes since, both real ones and paper ones.  I have been cutting out small snowflakes, ironing them, and hanging them on my Christmas tree for several decades now.  I use thin, inexpensive paper (typing paper was the best; cheap stationery works well, too), cut it into three-inch squares, and then fold them and use small, sharp scissors to cut my designs.

Below are scans of a few of the snowflakes I cut out this year 2011), and a few older ones that needed ironing and ended up mixed in. Each year I throw out a few torn and ragged snowflakes, and cut out several new ones for the tree, and a few more as gifts.  I hung approximately 750 of these on my Christmas tree in 2010.

Etched Snowflake Pysanky