Every snowflake is different, even paper ones that are cut using the same pattern, Cindy Higham assures us. And she should know; Higham is the author of the wonderful book, Snowflakes: Creative Paper Cutouts. In addition to the basic folding instructions, the book contains patterns for 75 different snowflake designs. But the reason that no two paper snowflakes will ever come out exactly alike—even when using the same design pattern—is that just the slightest difference in the way the paper is folded or cut will result in a new and exciting snowflake. And all we can say is…vive la différence!

The publisher, Gibbs Smith, has generously given us permission to make one design available to you in this post. The design I picked is titled “Ice Skaters,” but I chose it because it looked (to me, anyway) as though it could represent a personal celebration, and since we’ve been talking about snowflakes  and how they can serve as symbols for individuality, it just seemed fitting…

But enough of all that. Here’s how to do it: [Read more...]