{"title":"How to Make a Paper Angel (Easy Pleated Book Page Ornament)","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/paper-crafts/how-to-make-a-paper-angel","category":{"slug":"paper-crafts","name":"Paper Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Rokolee DIY","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3JIh1OCKe0DoX3H7661E8Q","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yBojRLNoFQ"},"tldr":"Fold two book pages into a pleated paper angel with a bead head, halo and lace notches. An easy 15 minute Christmas ornament.","quickAnswer":"Fold two book pages into a pleated paper angel with a bead head, halo and lace notches. An easy project: about 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes to dry or set. Materials cost about $1 to $3. You need 9 things, including glue stick, large wooden bead and metallic thread. The 10 steps start with trim Two Book Pages Into Matching Rectangles for the Paper Angel, fold Each Paper Angel Page Into an Accordion and fold Down the Paper Angel's Sleeve.","totalDurationSeconds":445,"videoDurationSeconds":445,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":20,"waitMinutes":15,"totalMinutes":35,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":1,"max":3},"yield":"1 paper angel ornament"},"tools":["scissors","large eye needle"],"materials":["2 book pages or sheets of paper","glue stick","large wooden bead","metallic thread","gold pipe cleaner (optional)","satin ribbon (optional)","strong craft glue (optional)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Trim Two Book Pages Into Matching Rectangles for the Paper Angel","text":"Pick two pages from an old book, or any paper you like. Cut off the plain margin around the printed text so you are left with two rectangles the same size. The ones in the video came out about 4 by 6.5 inches. Any size works as long as both sheets match and are square or rectangular. Two origami squares or two sheets of printer paper are fine too."},{"number":2,"title":"Fold Each Paper Angel Page Into an Accordion","text":"Starting on one long edge, fold a narrow strip over and crease it hard. Flip the paper over and fold the same width again. Keep flipping and folding, back and forth, until the whole page is a pleated strip. For a small angel, keep the folds under about 3/8 inch apart. Smaller folds give a finer look. Repeat with the second page."},{"number":3,"title":"Fold Down the Paper Angel's Sleeve","text":"Hold one concertina strip with the pleats closed. Fold the top section down and to the side at an angle. This becomes the sleeve, or the arm, of the angel. Keep the sleeve in proportion to the body: about a quarter of the strip's length looks right. Do the same on the second strip, folding it the opposite way so the two halves mirror each other."},{"number":4,"title":"Glue the Two Halves of the Paper Angel Together","text":"Run a glue stick down the inside edge of the main body on one strip. Leave about 3/4 inch unglued near the centre top. That small gap is where the hanging thread will go later, so do not skip it. Press the two halves together along the centre line so the pleats fan out into a dress on either side."},{"number":5,"title":"Glue the Paper Angel's Sleeves to Its Body","text":"Put a little glue under each folded sleeve and press it down onto the body. Press the whole angel firmly all over. Then set it under something heavy, like a book, for a few minutes while the glue dries. When you lift it off, you will have the full angel shape: a fanned dress with a sleeve on each side. The only thing missing is a head."},{"number":6,"title":"Thread a Hanging Loop Through the Paper Angel","text":"Cut a long piece of metallic thread, longer than you think you need. Thread it on a needle with an eye big enough for it. Push the needle through the unglued gap at the top of the angel and out the other side. Bring both ends of the thread up so they meet above the centre. You can feed it through by hand, but the needle is much neater."},{"number":7,"title":"Add a Wooden Bead Head to the Paper Angel","text":"Feed both ends of the thread through a large wooden bead and slide it down onto the top of the angel. Tie a knot right above the bead to hold it in place. Then tie a second knot higher up to make the hanging loop. That is the simplest version of the angel, ready to hang. No bead? Glue on a paper circle or a few paper loops instead."},{"number":8,"title":"Cut Lace Notches Into the Paper Angel's Dress","text":"For a lacy dress, pinch a few pleats together and snip small notches into the folded edge with scissors. Open the pleats to see the holes. Use those first pleats as a guide and cut notches in the same places on the rest of the dress. You can add them to the sleeves too. Slip coloured paper behind the holes for a different look."},{"number":9,"title":"Add a Pipe Cleaner Halo to the Paper Angel","text":"Take a sparkly gold pipe cleaner and bend one end into a small hoop, the size you want the halo to be. Bend the rest of the wire down to make a support stem a little taller than the bead. Glue the stem to the back of the head so the halo sits above it. Add a satin ribbon bow at the neck, or a little lace, glitter or rhinestones."},{"number":10,"title":"Shorten the Paper Angel's Hem Into Scallops","text":"If the dress looks too long, bunch the pleats together at the hem. Cut across them in a rounded curve, not a straight line. When you open the pleats back up, each one has a curved edge, and together they make a scalloped hem. Hang your angel on the tree, or make a few more in different papers."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-13T15:02:48.343Z","published":"2026-11-13T15:02:48.100Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}