The fan

1. 1

   Cut the paper in half

   Take one sheet of A4 or US Letter paper in your fan colour. Fold it in half and cut along the fold. You now have two equal pieces, one for each half of the fan.

   

2. 2

   Fold an accordion

   Fold a thin strip along the long edge of one piece. Turn the paper over and fold the next strip the same width. Keep folding back and forth until you reach the end.

   

   Press every fold firmly. The sharper the folds, the neater the fan.

   

3. 3

   Fold it in half

   Squeeze the accordion together and fold it in half across the pleats. When you open the top, it spreads into half a fan.

   

4. 4

   Make the second half

   Fold the second piece of paper the same way. Now you have two fan halves.

   

5. 5

   Glue the halves together

   Put glue on the inner edges of each half, where the folded halves meet.

   

   Press the two halves together so they make one round fan.

   

The handle

1. 6

   Cut a long pink strip

   Cut a long strip from the second colour of paper. Fold it in half lengthwise so it becomes narrow and strong.

   

2. 7

   Glue the strip around the fan

   Close the fan. Put glue on the strip and wrap it around the outside of the closed fan: up one side, around the bottom and up the other side. Cut off what is left over.

   

   Open the fan. The pink strip turns into two sticks, one on each side, just like on a real fan.

   

The tassel

1. 8

   Cut the fringe

   Cut a rectangle of pink paper. Make many thin cuts along one long side. Stop before you reach the other edge so the rectangle stays in one piece.

   

2. 9

   Add a cord

   Cut a very thin strip from the green paper. This is the cord. Glue one end of it to the uncut edge of the fringe.

   

3. 10

   Hang it and roll it up

   Pass the cord around the bottom of the fan, between the two pink sticks, and bring it back to the fringe.

   

   Put a little glue on the uncut edge of the fringe and start rolling it tightly around the cord.

   

   Keep rolling to the end, adding glue as you go. Hold it for a few seconds so it stays closed.

   

The finishing touches

1. 11

   Make a little band

   Cut a short, narrow pink strip and fold it in half lengthwise.

   

   Wrap it around the closed fan to measure, glue the ends into a ring and cut off the extra.

   

2. 12

   Slide the band on

   Close the fan and slide the band over it. The band keeps the fan shut when you are not using it.

   

3. 13

   Add some sparkle

   Decorate the band and the pink sticks with crystal stickers, pearls or any shiny bits you love.

   

4. 14

   Open it up

   Slide the band off, open the fan wide and give it a wave.

   

   When you are done, close it and slide the band back on.

   

   Your sparkly paper fan is ready.

Make it easier.

• Keep the pleats even. If all the strips are the same width, the fan opens into a neat, round shape.
• Glue tape is the cleanest. Liquid glue makes thin paper wavy. Glue tape or a glue stick keeps the pleats crisp.
• Cut the fringe thin. The thinner the cuts, the softer and fuller the tassel looks.