How to Build Your Yona DIY Papercraft Kit

Opened your Yona DIY kit and found a collection of flat shapes that will somehow become a little work of art? You’re in the right place.

This guide walks you through the basics of building your pre-cut papercraft kit: popping out the pieces, reading the markings, folding, and gluing. Keep your kit’s assembly diagrams beside you for the steps specific to your model. We’ll help you make sense of the little lines and numbers along the way.

And the scissors? They have the day off.

Before you begin

Find a clear, dry spot to work and gather your kit, its assembly diagrams, some white glue, and a small brush. White glue and a brush are the tools recommended in our instructions; they are not included in the kit.

You don’t need scissors or a craft knife. The pieces are already die-cut, and the fold lines are pre-creased. Your job is to help those flat shapes become something with a little more personality.

1. Gently pop out the pieces

Use your fingers to gently press the pieces out of the sheet. Take your time around narrow edges and small tabs: those little tabs have an important job later.

Hands gently removing a pre-cut papercraft piece from a sheet. — No cutting required. Gently press each piece free with your fingers.

We suggest taking out the pieces for the section you’re working on first. It keeps your workspace manageable and saves you from playing “where did that tiny piece go?”

2. Get to know the numbers

Each piece has an ID, such as A1 or B2. That tells you which piece you’re holding and helps you find it in the assembly diagrams.

Papercraft piece A1 with smaller numbers and fold markings along its edges. — The piece ID names the piece. The small edge numbers tell you where to join it.

Build in alphabetical order: finish the A pieces before moving on to B, then C, following your model’s diagrams. The alphabet finally has a job beyond helping us find things in a dictionary.

Don’t mix up piece IDs and edge numbers. You’ll use the small numbers along the edges when it’s time to glue. We’ll get to those in a moment.

3. Learn two folds

For this step, keep the printed side—the side with the numbers and markings—facing up. Fold along the pre-creased lines, checking the markings as you go.

Mountain fold: a line with a circle marking. Fold outward to make a raised peak.
Valley fold: a line without a circle marking. Fold inward to make a dip.

Mountain and valley fold diagrams with arrows showing the two folding directions. — Mountain goes up; valley goes down. Check from the printed side.

Not sure about a fold? Pause and compare it with the illustration before adding glue. It’s much easier to check a loose piece than a glued seam.

4. Match the little twins

Now look at the small numbers along the edges. An edge marked 2 joins its matching 2. Follow the same idea for the other numbered edges, using your assembly diagrams to guide the sequence.

Papercraft pieces B3 and B2 with matching edge numbers 2 highlighted. — Different piece IDs, matching edge numbers: 2 joins 2.

Try lining up the matching edges without glue first. This quick check helps you see how the pieces fit and which tab will tuck underneath.

5. A little glue goes a long way

For the gluing stage, keep the unprinted side facing up, as shown in the guide. Use your small brush to spread a thin layer of white glue onto the back of the glue tab.

A small brush applying glue to the back of a folded papercraft tab. — Brush on a thin layer. The tab needs glue, not frosting.

Less glue dries faster and helps keep things tidy. Tuck the tab under the matching edge, line up the seam, and hold it gently for a few seconds. If it hasn’t held yet, give it a little longer before moving on.

Two folded paper sections joining along a glue tab, with arrows and a timer illustration. — Tab underneath, edges aligned, then a gentle hold.

Keep following the assembly diagrams, one join at a time. There’s no prize for finishing with the most glue on your fingers.

You made that

Once the last seam is secure and the glue has dried, take a moment to enjoy what you’ve built. Those flat pieces are now something you made with your own hands. That deserves a good look from every angle.