Last night was windy and frigid, and we had what I think were our first snow flurries of the season. None of it stuck, although I can see some snow-capped mountains from the living room window. The sudden burst of winter — and it was sudden; it was 64 degrees out on Tuesday night! — put us in the mood to make some snowflakes today.

It turns out that it is not easy (for me, anyway) to take pictures of paper snowflakes in progress. The kids’ scissors and their little hands weren’t quite up to the task of cutting through the folded paper, so I had them draw where they wanted me to cut. Between the folding and the cutting, I forgot to take pictures of the kids unfolding their snowflakes.

But I did get a picture of the final product:

Maybe in the future I won’t need to look up how to do this rather simple craft, but I don’t think I’ve ever successfully made a paper snowflake before today. I’m pretty sure I’ve always had a problem with overzealous cutting. Which manifests itself when you unfold your creation and it all flutters to the ground in tiny bits and strips. I didn’t want the kids to experience that particular trauma, though, so today I asked the internet for help. We followed Martha’s “how to make paper snowflakes” instructions. They’re very straightforward, which is important to a non-crafter such as myself.

We used some plain white paper and some scrapbooking paper to make our snowflakes. I really like the way Michele of MicheleMadeMe.com thinks, though. She uses junk mail to make paper snowflakes! It’s “green,” it turns out a lovely finished product, and it might be easier for the kids to cut through.

If you’re feeling very industrious and fancy, you might be interested in these quilled snowflakes at Reese Dixon or 3D Lacy Snowflakes at How About Orange. They’re both stunning.

Also stunning: These paper snowflake pendant lamps from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. They’d be a lovely addition to my holiday decor.