Snowflake string tutorial

Just a simple little tutorial for some wintery decoration fun. We made these for our gallery window and I am pretty jazzed about them!

First - procure as many popsicle sticks as you can. Don't attempt to make 100 of these from actual popsicles unless you have a lot of friends! You need three for each snowflake, so plan accordingly and start next summer - or - go to your local craft store and pick up a few packs of their naked cousins - craft sticks! Grab your hotglue gun and plug it in. Have a can of white spray paint handy as well as a container of white glitter. Newspaper keeps it all tidy whilst making these things.

Lay out the sticks on a piece of paper - making one cross the other like an "X" with a dot of glue holding them together in the middle. Glue the third stick across the "X" to bisect the "X". A little this way or that makes no difference. Remember, snowflakes are all different in real life!

When you have created as many snowflakes as you need place them on newspaper or other protective paper as you are going to start painting them now. In a well ventilated area (like outside) lay down the paper with the snowflakes spread out across it, one layer thick. Spray one side of them all to cover and then let dry. We like ours sprayed lightly. A little wood peeking through looks good to us. You might like them more shiny and lacquered. Flip them over and do the other side.

While they are wet, sprinkle them with glitter. We like the white translucent kind which imparts a snowy sparkle to them. Some of you might go Vegas-style and use the more bold silver or two tone iridescent type. To each his own I say!

Once they are dry you can simply hotglue them to some monofilament line or invisible thread. Hang them up and put on your holiday lights and enjoy the sparkle! During the day they have a lovely glow too, from the glitter. Bonus! the paper you will have used to protect the surface you are working on becomes this lovely stenciled work of art too...