Frequently Asked Questions
What Scissors do you use?
I have a few favorite pairs of scissors, but they all have one thing in common… a sharp & pointed tip! The Fiskars 5” Micro Tip scissors have been in my toolbox for years. I also like the Fiskars Softgrip 5” Micro Tip Scissors and the Westcott 5” Soft Grip Scissors with Micro Tip.
For kids, I like the Fiskars 5” Classic Pointed Tip Scissors. They’re safe but still sharp! My kids are ages 5 & 7 and these are the ONLY scissors they use to cut snowflakes. Yes, they can cut through 12 layers of paper with kids scissors! When we cut snowflakes together, I use them too!
For my very detailed snowflakes (not my Print-N-Cut patterns), I use a classic silver craft knife with X-Acto #11 blades on a soft cutting mat. I’ve tried a bunch of things, broken a lot of blades, and settled on that as my setup.
what paper do you recommend?
I have cut snowflakes on almost every type of paper imaginable: standard copy paper, wrapping paper, origami paper, tissue paper, wax paper, coffee filters, you name it!
For Print-N-Cuts, you may be able to find thinner copy paper (18lb instead of 20lb), which would be easier to fold and cut. I’ve purchased 18lb continuous form paper (the kind with the holes on the sides, remember that stuff??) and it’s a bit of a hassle to rip the sides off and separate the sheets, but it’s definitely easier to cut!
For detailed snowflakes, I use an acid-free archival buffered tissue paper. It won’t yellow in the sun, and is not as slippery as traditional tissue paper. It has a nice white opaque-ness which stands out on a painted background. This type of paper will need to be mounted and framed, they are far too delicate to dangle or tape!
what kind of hole punches do you use?
I always have 3 different hole punches at the ready, all by Fiskars: 1/4”, 1/8”, and 1/16” You can find them online or in many craft stores. There are many other cute hole punches available too (stars, hearts, etc.) and I love using them too!
If you are having trouble hole-punching through 12 layers of paper at the same time, don’t worry. Just unfold your snowflake once, so you can punch through half of it (6 layers). Then fold it back together, line up your pattern, and punch through the other 6 layers!
I started cutting snowflakes when I was a little kid, like many children do. I didn’t start out as a particularly gifted cutter — in fact “scissor skills” was the only thing that needed improvement on my kindergarten report card!
I liked to cut paper snowflakes with my family during the holidays, and experiment with different shapes. I only used scissors for most of my life (I don’t think I even owned a hole punch!) and I didn’t use a craft knife until 2016 (I had no idea what I was missing!). Now that I have kids of my own, I like to cut snowflakes with them and see what they come up with.
How did you start cutting snowflakes?
My snowflake didn’t turn out like yours. what did I do wrong?
Even with a pattern, it’s still possible to cut through your snowflake or make mistakes. Here’s my advice for trying again:
Pay extra attention to your folds. Snowflakes with big gaps in the folds are more likely to surprise you when you open them up!
Press your folds tight. You may even want to flatten them with a scoring tool or the edge of your fingernail. This will help you hold the paper tight while you cut and prevent the paper from sliding around.
Hold your scissors upright and move the paper to cut the pattern, as opposed to twisting your scissors around and holding the scissors still.
Give yourself extra room along each side to prevent cutting all the way through your innermost layers.
Give yourself a break - this is supposed to be fun, not perfect! :)
Keep trying - if I had a dollar for every time I messed up a paper snowflake, I could retire!
I accept a select number of social media collaborations each year. Please check out my collaborations page for more information! Right now I am not offering custom physical snowflakes.
Do you do custom work?
Where can I see your work in-person?
Thank you for reading all the way to the bottom of my FAQs! The thought that there are snowflake enthusiasts out there in the world who are curious enough to ask questions and learn more makes me incredibly happy :) If I didn’t answer your question here, feel free to send me a message. Happy snipping!