I can’t stop making these gorgeous coffee filter snowflakes!! The coffee filters soak up the paint in a way that makes them look ombre, and cutting them is easier than cutting paper, plus they are stronger than paper. How did it take me so long to discover that coffee filters and one of the best art supplies ever?
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I wasn’t planning on blogging about these, which I know sounds crazy. But I made them as a thank you to some helpers and I sent them all in the mail. Sometimes my brain shuts off and I just want to make for the sake of making and not worry about steps or process or photos. I did snap these two just for Instagram. I will tell you how I made them, but first the supplies!
Supplies for Coffee Filter Snowflakes
~ Coffee filters (I used these 12-cup ones, but I’ve also bought these giant ones in the past and they are awesome)
~ Newspaper (for painting on to soak up paint)
~ Clothesline with clothespins (for drying)
Directions for making Painted Coffee Filter Snowflakes
1. Mix liquid watercolor in jars to desired color. Or, straight from the bottle. It depends what company you buy from. Some are very dark and intense so I add some water. I also do mix some of my own colors. For this one I used the straight colors, though, from Colorations: red, green, teal, and blue that was very watered down.
2. Grab some newspaper, take a page at a time and fold in 4. This will be where you paint on. The coffee filters soak up the paint and run right through, so it can get wet and sloppy if you don’t have a plan. After the newspaper is soaked, you can see if flipping it over works. Or grab a new page. I re-use all the painted newspaper pages and cut them up as collage material.
3. Paint your coffee filters with a thick brush that will hold paint. As you finish each one, either hang them on a clothesline to dry, or put them on the floor on top of newspaper. They will dry quickly.
4. When dry, fold the coffee filter four times. Then cut your shapes out. I always try to include a heart shape. This is the fun part! I just cut little divots all around the side and top. And then I cut the very. Practice trying different things, you really can’t go wrong!
And now, here are some other ideas for creative snowflake making…
I love this messy snowflake making table! These kind of scenes just make me happy. It’s the way I want my children to remember their childhood. This post is from Artful Parent and she uses just plain dry palette watercolors to paint their coffee filter snowflakes. This is a good, less messy alternative if you don’t have liquid watercolor. Visit Jean’s blog for more wonderful art ideas for kids.
These tie-die snowflakes were actually made using this very cool dip-dying technique. Ana from Babble Dabble Do made these and she is the queen of videos so click over and watch these psychedelic coffee filter snowflakes being made in action. Aren’t they the coolest?
If you don’t have watercolors, you can also paint your coffee filter snowflakes with food coloring! And blending the colors makes for a cool ombre effect. This idea comes from Jackie at Happy Hooligans. I love the deep purple!
If you truly want a less messy way to paint your coffee filter snowflakes, A Cotton Kandy Life uses a marker and water technique which is awesome.
I am in LOVE with these snowflakes made from not just coffee filters, but cupcake liners, too!! I love the texture of the liner paper, and the way they contrast with the smooth coffee filters. This clever idea comes from Super Make It.
This is another very cool idea… make snowflakes from doilies!! I love the lacy edge. This idea comes from One Good Thing, and she also turns them into a pretty garland. And you know how much I love garland!
Agnes from Hello, Wonderful used these fabulous paint sticks to paint her snowflakes. Paint sticks are a really awesome material. The colors are so vibrant, they glide across the paper and are really fun to use, and there is very little mess!
Lastly, these giant snowflakes made from newspaper are actually what inspired my snowflakes! I really dig the colors and use of recycled materials. These were made by Jodi Levine on Handmade Charlotte.
What other fun ways can you come up with to make artsy snowflakes? Leave your ideas in the comments, or post a photo on Instagram and tag me @artbarblog.
xo, Bar
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Did you like these snowflake ideas? Here are some more:
Thank you so much for the mention!