How to make paper bird decorations

Christmas is fast approaching, so why not get organised and make your very own decorations?

We love these paper birds from Country Homes & Interiors - perfect for adding homespun style to your Christmas tree. Fancy making them yourself? Simply follow our step-by-step guide:

What you'll need

* Paper for template
* Medium weight plain coloured card for the body
* PVA glue
* Two 1cm-diameter buttons for eyes
* Heavy weight patterned or plain coloured paper for the wings (try HobbyCraft)

1) Make a paper template for the bird's body using the
illustration (pictured) as a guide. Enlarge the shape so that the bird
measures 14cm from the tip of the beak to the tip of the lower tail. Cut
out the template.

2) Use the template to draw a bird shape in card and cut out.

3)Carefully snip out a 0.5cm by 1.5cm slot for the wings as indicated on
the template. Just above the slot, use a hole punch to create a hole for
threading the ribbon.

4) Glue on buttons for the eyes as indicated on the template and leave the glue to dry.

5)Cut a 20cm square of patterned or coloured paper. Using a metal ruler
and one blade of a pair of scissors, score along the square at 1cm
intervals until you reach the bottom. Concertina-fold the paper along
the score lines, hold the folds at one end and then work along the
length of the paper with thumb and forefinger to compress the folds into
a neat, workable strip.

6) Holding the folds together
between thumb and forefinger at one end, push the paper through the slot
on the bird's body (see illustration below), stopping half way. Fan out
the folds to form the wings.

7) Thread the narrow ribbon through the punched hole in the bird's body and tie in a knot 1cm from the end. Hang in place.

Need more inspiration? Check out our Christmas craft projects and choose your perfect Christmas tree!