Quick Craft: How to make a Paper Fan with Blow Pens!

Do you remember blow pens?! I recently found a set and it brought back a rush of childhood memories and crafty afternoons. So much so that, I had to make something with them, instantly! We used them on stencils and cards and notebook covers and some papercrafts. Which wasn’t the brightest idea, because we used up almost all of them, in a single afternoon (Totally worth it!). One of the things we made, were these pretty paper fans. And, learning how to make a paper fan is a great quick craft activity to do with kids. Wouldn’t you agree?

Time taken: 5-7 minutes per fan

Budget: Low

Materials:

• Paper
• Blow Pens
• Popsicle Sticks
• Scissors
• Glue Drops
• Double sided tape (optional)

Steps:

1. Cut a strip of paper 17 cms long and 6 cms wide.
2. Using a blow pen to add splatters over one side of the paper. To give it a gradient, blow through the pen closer at the bottom of the sheet and go higher as you move upwards. The closer the pen is to the paper, the deeper the effect will be.
3. Once the ink has dried, place a popsicle stick on one end of the paper and fold over it. This is the measure for all the folds.
4. Using the fold, make a front back fold on the paper (is there an origami term for this?). Basically make one fold on top and then a second fold on the back.

5. Add glue drops or double sided tape on the top of 2 popsicle sticks. One on the back and one of the front.
6. Paste the first stick from the back of the first fold.
7. Paste the second stick on the front of the last fold. Making it look kind of like an organ.
8. Take one glue drop and ball it up, by rolling it between your fingers.
9. Place the ball of glue on bottom of the popsicle stick and paste the second stick on top of it. Because the glue is in a ball, it should allow you to fold the fan, in and out.
10. Test the fan by folding it inwards and outwards.

Obviously, these paper fans aren’t going to be of much use for air. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them, at all! The trick is to make the size bigger or smaller by adjusting the size of the paper. You could use them to make a bunting, as a gift topper or make a whole bunch of them as table decor. Many many possibilities!

Like our quick craft on how to make a paper fan? Let me know your thoughts through any of the social media links given here. Also, if you have any suggestions on what other basic paper crafts you would like to see, let me know in the comments below!