Christmas ornament

12/3/2014

A couple weeks ago, I invented this ornament by accident. I was looking at two different pins on pinterest when I created it, this one, and this one. One makes a dodecahedron (12 sided 3D shape) out of hexagons which interlock, the other is a octahedron (8 sided 3D shape) of folded paper, based on a diamond shape. I wanted to try making an octahedron out of pieces that interlocked like the first one did.

But I didn't think it all through before diving in. I discovered that, with the pieces the way I had configured them, it didn't make an octahedron as I'd planned. I quickly realized, however, that I could make my shape work to make a different type of 12 sided ornament. (I did later figure out the right way to make the octahedron :-)

I decided to give my accident ornament away to anyone who wants it for Christmas. I tried to make the instructions clear, but after sending them out to friends and family, it seems that some of them could understand them and some couldn't. I'm not sure how to make them clearer--I invented this by accident, remember, I just did what worked and it happened. I don't really know how to explain that. So if you want, print these out and give it a try. If you print it on cardstock your final ornament will be more sturdy, but it will be more flexible and easier to assemble if you use regular paper--your choice.