I came up with the idea for these DIY angel wings last year when my son was in kindergarten. He’s in a dual language Spanish program and they were doing a traditional Mexican posada before Christmas break. I found out the week before that I needed to come up with an angel costume, and with no extra money in our budget I was forced to get creative! I wracked my brain for anything white in the house that I could use and came up with paper plates. So this year guess what I’m dressing up as for Halloween? And even better, I’ve made my first tutorial so you can learn how to make angel wings, too:
Materials:
- 11 plain white paper plates (3 for the center and 8 for the feathers)
- 2 strips of ribbon–I used gold ribbon measuring about 23 inches, you can make yours longer or shorter as needed.
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Pencil or marker for drawing cut lines
Step 1: Draw out your cut lines. Each feather will end up being a slim crescent, leaving an eye shape in the middle of the paper plate. You can draw the lines on each of the 8 feather plates before you start cutting, draw as you go, or eyeball the whole thing–it’s no big deal if they’re not all exactly the same size.
Step 2: Cut out all of your feathers. I cut out 16 total, and again, make more or less as you see fit for your wings.
Step 3: Plan out where you want your feathers to go–but don’t glue yet! You just want to get an idea for how you want to space the feathers so you won’t have to rip it apart for a redo later.
Here are my feathers all mapped out. They don’t look very even here, but I straightened them out more as I began gluing.
Step 4: Mark where you want your feathers to start and end. If you’re a perfectionist, count the ridges between each set of marks to ensure that they’re even.
Step 5: Start gluing!
Put a dime-sized amount of glue on the tip of each feather and press it down onto the center plate between your marks on either side. Don’t worry about making a mess, because you’ll be covering it all up with another plate.
Here’s one side completed.
And both sides.
Step 6: Now glue around the center of the plate and press your second plate with the back against the glue.
Step 7: Flip the wings over and get your ribbon ready for the arm straps. You can either mark out where you want the straps so that they’re or even or eyeball it like I did.
Use the start and finish of your feathers as a guideline. This time, put the glue on the plate and gently press the ribbon into it. You may want to use the end of a pen or something so you don’t burn your fingers.
Glue the second strap on the opposite side and your almost done!
Step 8: To finish add some more glue for the final plate, this will help hold the ribbon in and make the whole thing more stable.
Step 9: Press down the third whole plate and voila! you’ve got wings!
I made my wings during the kids’ naps and finished it all (including picture taking) under thirty minutes. Now pair it with a white robe or all-white clothes and you’ve got your angel costume. Save the wings ’til December and your kids are ready for the Christmas play! I hope you all enjoy learning how to make angel wings–let me know if you end up making a pair!
Check out these other fun DIY projects while you’re here:
How to Make Paper Ball Ornaments Tutorial
These are so cool! I'm sending to my sister, she's an art teacher for an elementary school and this would be a great project for the kids! I love it!
Cute!!! Might have to try this
These are awesome. What a fantastic idea… love them – they're so pretty! I'll be sharing these at Dollar Store Crafts this afternoon.
Thanks for such great feedback–it really keeps me motivated to keep on makin'! Dollar Store Crafts has some awesome ideas–you should really check it out (and who doesn't love an excuse to wander through the dollar store?) And Holly I would love to see some pics of your sister's students if they do end up making their own!
great idea !
it's beautiful project!
these are great! thanks for sharing!
this is really cute..smart idea
It's amazing, Amy! Please; keep sharing your creativity!! ¡Son unas alas preciosas! R. from Spain
Thank you so much for posting this! I'm in college (and poor!) and this was a perfect idea for a cheap angel costume 🙂
Awesome!–I'm glad you found the tutorial and hope you have a great Halloween!
Thank you so much, I have to do the same for my kid and am running out of time so would definitely try this. Wish me luck.
Thanks for this great idea. I love paper plate crafts. (Actually I love paper plates for everything!) I am going to add this to the Christmas crafts I am doing with my girls.
you are BRILLIANT!
These are the most awesome wings I have ever seen! I have to make 30 angel costumes and the wings were worrying me. These is so easy and inexpensive and looks great!
Graet idea! I made wings(for elementary childrens featuring an angel's choir )with silver plated paper plates and the effect has been fantastic.Easy and cheap
This is so awesome!!! Thanks for the idea! I made some for my children…they won't get them until Christmas Eve though! So cool! You are brilliant!
http://beinglds.blogspot.com/2010/12/paper-plate-angel-wings.html
Awesome! way to go! Had to come out for a class of Autistic kids. Simple and affordable and easy to obtain. Thanks for your creativity. God Bless you
Corina
Singapore
Thanks Corina, I'm glad you found this project helpful!
I did a search for angel crafts–saw this image on allfreechristmascrafts–and ended up here. 😉 Love this.
vanessa
thanks vanessa, it's one of my most popular posts! it's definitely a go-to at our house!
Wanted to add some sparkle…she's a "sparkly girl". Had no spray adhesive. Used hair spray and a bit of fine opal glitter. Perfect! Thanks for a GREAT idea.
glad you liked it! adding glitter is a great idea!
Hi Amy,
Just realised I do not have hot glue gun…do you think it would work with white glue which is suitable for crafts projects….
thanks
Corina
Hi again, Corina! Yeah, I think you could definitely use white craft glue. You'll need to give it a little extra time to dry, but I'm sure it would work. Let me know how yours turn out!
LOVE this! I'm featuring it on my post today about "Top 10 Things To Make Out of Paper Plates @ http://www.cheapcraftymama.com. Feel free to grab a button! Thanks!
I just followed this from cheapcraftymama.com and all I can say is……
you are a genius! Love this.
Awesome, Mary! Thank you for your generous comment and for stopping by Maker Mama!
You are a lifesaver! Here I am with less than an hour, no supplies and I need to make wings. And I found this post. You saved the day!
I'm so glad you found the tutorial!
Super!! facili e di sicuro effetto!!! baci!
These are so fantastic! I'm an Elementary Music Teacher and we need some snowy owl costumes for the Winter Program on the CHEAP. I'm going to adapt your idea for that! So so thankful!
Couldn't find angel wings for my daughters costume so I'm trying this out..I plan on using the sparkly mod podge and glitter glue..should be fun. 🙂
Thanks for the tutorial 🙂
You saved my life!
My little angel is ready for tomorrow's Christmas play.
And with silver wings!
Thanks from Italy.
Angela
That's wonderful Angela! How did it turn out?
Perfect! I wish I could share a pic.
Thanks again!
Angela
My granddaughter wore these wings in her preschool Christmas program. Very cute and inexpensive to make.
That's so precious! Thanks for sharing!
HI AMY THIS IS PHOEBE FROM INDIA , THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS IDEA . I USED IT YESTERDAY FOR MY DAUGHTERS XMAS CELEBRATION IN SCHOOL . LOOKIN FORWARD TO MORE SUCH IDEAS
THANX AGAIN
Such a smart idea! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing, have just made for son’s Christmas Show. As a working Mom with 3 kids, I am grateful for these cheap and cheerful creations.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed making your own angel wings. I hope y’all have a wonderful time at the Christmas show!
Perfect! I’ll be needing this for my son’s Holy Win Parade this October He will be an Angel. It’s very helpful, simple and smart! Thank you for sharing! God Bless!