Cen Ser Cea E ee Peg-Light Christmas Tree by TreeFeathers This project is based on the ceramic tabletop Christmas trees that were popular in the 1960s and 70s. We had one made by my great-grandmother; it was one of our favorite holiday decorations, and for my brother and me it was the centerpiece of a beloved Christmas ritual: The Fight Over Who Gets To Put The Pegs In (followed by a rousing rendi- tion of The Fight Over Who Gets To Set Up The Créche, and then egg nog.) Materials: * Unfinished wooden tree (1°/,” tall) * Acrylic paint * DuraClear gloss varnish * Paintbrushes * Toothbrush or stiff paintbrush * Fine glitter (optional) * Swarovski 2.2mm flat rhinestones in assorted colors * White glue * Spaghetti stick (uncooked!) Note: The wooden trees and the rhinestones can be found at most hobby supply stores. Americana brand DuraClear varnish cleans up easily with soap and water, and can be found with the bottled acrylic paints at the craft store. similar products are available in UK and Europe. Oe eS eee eee eee roe eeeroca Peg-Light Christmas Tree by TreeFeathers Begin by painting the wooden tree all over with a dark pine green. Using very little paint on your brush and a lighter, brighter green, do light swipes around the larger projecting areas of the tree, leaving the crevices the darker green to give a little depth and texture to the tree. To create snow, put a dab of white paint on some paper and use an old toothbrush ora stiff paintbrush to pick up some paint on the bristles. Hold the brush a little away from the tree and run your finger across the bristles to spatter droplets of paint toward the tree. You may want to practice first on some scratch paper or cardboard to get an idea of how the paint will spatter. A drier brush will give you finer drops; more paint will cause larger blobs and spatters. There is really no wrong way, just create an effect that you like. Let dry. Paint the base of your tree however you like and let dry. If you want to add glitter to your tree, coat the tree part (not the base) with the gloss varnish and while it is still wet. lightly sprinkle with glitter. Let dry thoroughly. a er To get the look of glazed ceramic, paint the entire tree and base with 2 or 3 coats of gloss varnish, allowing it to dry between coats. Once the varnish has dried completely, add the rhinestones. With a toothpick put a dot of glue ‘onthe tree where you want a rhinestone to go. Wet the flat end of a dry spaghetti stick with your tongue and use it to pick up the =~ = rhinestones and place them on the glue dots. Merry Christmas! www.TreeFeathers.com Dore oject... Project... Project... Project... Project... Project... Project... Project... Project... Project! fraps