trim the tree – paper spinning tops

I love those delicate oval glass Christmas tree decorations that have a point at the bottom.  I don’t know the name of the shape, but it reminds me of the toy spinning tops I played with as a little girl.

This is the home sweet homemade version of this traditional Christmas ornament.  Made with paper.  Of course.

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Step 1

I started by drawing an oval and creating a curved point at the top and bottom.  Since it is in two dimensions, I decided to make it more interesting by layering multiple sizes of the same shape.   So I drew two more spinning top shapes smaller in scale.  Cut the largest spinning top from a piece of cardboard, like a cereal box and paint both sides.

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Step 2

Punch a small hole near the top and bottom points.

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Step 3

Select some decorative paper and cut two pieces of the medium spinning top.  Cut two more pieces of the small shape from another piece of paper.  Art paper scraps work perfectly!  Roll the small and medium shapes around a marker gently so the rounded sides will bend upwards.

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Step 4

Layer two smaller shapes together on one side of the large spinning top and glue them along the center axis.  Repeat on the opposite side.

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Step 5

Add a hanging loop through the top hole and a bead or other embellishment through the bottom hole.

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Voila!  Easy and pretty!

wishing you a basketful of holiday inspiration 🙂

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joining the Christmas in July link party at My Salvaged Treasures