How To Fold A Paper Cup

Paper cups are pretty handy, I've found, even as an adult. You just never know when you're going to need to carry water and not have a glass nearby. :) I learned the technique as a kid for practical purposes at camp one summer. I think the original theory was that it could be made out of a large piece of bark, but I could be making that part up. ;) Nowadays, I've found that regular printer paper works really well for this.

A year or so ago I taught a few teenagers the trick, and it was like a light bulb just came on. I had to send one kid out to the water fountain to prove it worked, and when he came back, everyone else crowded around to inspect. Did it really work? Was it leaking? And then he drank the water out of it! How cool! How handy! What other uses are there?

Scroll to the bottom to see a picture of my adorable dog and another use for paper cups. :)

Most paper is not square, so start by folding the paper into a square.

See the extra paper? Cut it off. Or leave it, if you want. Sometimes I just fold and tuck it in.

Now it's gone! If I don't have scissors, I just fold the extra bit a few times and tear it off.

Now take one corner to touch the opposite side.

Turn the paper over and repeat.

Fold the top triangle down. I like to tuck it into the handy slot, but you don't have to.

 Do the same to the opposite side.

And now you have your very own paper cup!

















Try some water! My sample paper was a lighter scrapbook paper, and it didn't hold up as well as computer paper does, perhaps because there's more surface area?













For the record, I never dress up my dog, but after I made the paper cup for the pictures, I couldn't resist trying a larger one. And isn't he cute? I made an extra big paper cup and then bribed him with a milk bone to hold still long enough to take the picture. See that intent stare? There's a dog cookie at the other end of that stare.