Papercut Gem Lanterns
Crystal Clear
Papercrafting is our original love. We are always impressed with the amazing 3D projects that you can make with such a simple material. As you know, we love crepe paper for creating gorgeous flowers and decor, but one paper material that we never seem to use is vellum. So we are slowly changing that! Vellum is slightly translucent, so it captures a texture and color palette that you can’t really find in other paper materials. First we created our lovely silver dollar eucalyptus branch, and now we are showing you how to make a set of origami gems for easy and pretty home decor.
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Crafting Instructions
- Start by picking out your vellum. We recommend choosing a few different colors for variety, like clear white, turquoise and light blue.
- Download the SVG if you are using a cutting machine or the PDF if you are cutting by hand. If you are using the PDF, you can actually print the templates directly onto the vellum. We included 4 paper gem designs in total in a couple of different sizes.
- After you trim the templates, use the dotted score lines as a guide for folding the paper to form the crystal shapes. Some of the origami gems have multiple pieces, so pay attention the the numbers marked in the template to know which pieces go with which.
- Glue your gems together along the tabs using glue dots or double stick tape. These are both great options because they will not be visible through the translucent vellum.
Styling Ideas
Once you finish making your paper crystals, there are lots of things you can do with them. We love the idea of making a cute display on your mantel or shelf. Because some of the gems do not have bottoms, you can stick little flameless tea lights in them to create lanterns. These could even make for some gorgeous DIY wedding decor and centerpiece arrangements. Or, make a handcrafted baby mobile with hanging gems. Get creative with styling and color palettes!
Run With It!
If our origami gems are making you feel inspired, let us know in the comments below! We would love to see how you are styling your paper crystals, so share your photos with us on Instagram using #DIYDreamingWithLia. For another geometric project, check out our paper geodes or brass geometric centerpieces. Visit our membership page to learn more about how we are building a community of creatives all around the world, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for daily doses of inspiration. Enjoy! ~ Lia & Team
Tools
- Scissors or Cutting Machine
Materials
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Discussion
Ask Lia or the community!
6 Comments
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Laura
November 20, 2020 at 3:37pm
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Lia
November 21, 2020 at 1:07pm
@Laura
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tania
May 18, 2017 at 1:46am
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Lia
May 18, 2017 at 9:25am
@tania
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Barbara
May 17, 2017 at 7:02pm
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Lia
May 18, 2017 at 9:09am
@Barbara
Back to the Topcan this svg be used on a cricut? does anyone know how?
Hi, Laura! All of our SVG files can be used with a Cricut. Check out our mini course, which covers how to upload SVG files into design space and scoring tool settings: https://liagriffith.com/craft-academy/how-to-use-files-cricut/
Good morning, I have problems opening the svg file. It says the file is corrupt
Hi Tania, I just double-checked the file and am not having problems on my end. It could be an internet/connectivity issue– try downloading from a different browser to see if that helps! If not, send an email to hello@liagriffith.com with a screenshot of the error message you’re getting.
Where is the PDF for the vellum lanterns?
It’s in the download (packaged with the SVG file, you’ll just need to unzip it).