Make a Gwiazdy

Looking for a fun winter craft with a wealth of tradition? Try making a Polish Gwiazdy (g-vee-azda)! While it may look like a conventional winter cut-out (gwiazdy even means star in Polish), gwiazdy have a history spanning two centuries and are 8-pointed rather than 6-pointed paper snowflakes. Various forms of paper cutouts called wycinanki (vĭ-chee non-key) originated in the 19th century in Poland.Two styles developed in the northern area of Warsaw: leluja (le-lu-ya), which are cut from paper folded lengthwise, and gwiazdy, cut from a round piece of paper. Each spring, the people of Warsaw white-washed the walls of their homes and decorated them with these colorful cut-outs. Celebrate winter the Warsaw way with these simple instructions.

1. Turn your rectangle into a square. Fold your paper all the way across to make a triangle with a bit hanging over. Cut off the bit that hangs over.

2. Fold your square in half (to make a rectangle)

3. Then fold it in half again to make a square. Now fold in half one last time (corner to corner this time) to make a triangle.

4. Draw a curved line and cut off the top of the triangle

5. Draw a symmetrical design. Don't draw any cuts all the way through or you'll end up with confetti instead of a star.

6. Cut along the lines you drew and unfold to admire your beautiful creation!