OH, CHRISTMAS TREE

By Dina Zelden

This home-made Christmas Tree will brighten your holiday. Decorate it any way you want, with lights, ornaments, pictures; the possibilities are endless!

SUPPLIES • 6 to 12 sticks in graduated sizes. The number of sticks you will need is determined by how large they are in width. If you cut each stick

shorter than the lower stick, you will have a graduated angle from bottom to top, with the shortest stick on the top. • A star or ornament for the top of the tree • Spray Paint • Glitter • A spool of gardening wire • String lights–If you are making this as an outdoor decoration, use solar lights.

DIRECTIONS  Cut your sticks. Each stick should be two to four inches smaller than the one below it.  Line your sticks on the floor or a table before you begin, to see if you have the appropriate number of sticks.  Starting from the bottom, use the gardening wire to wrap around the first stick (about six inches from the end), then wrap the wire around the stick above it, leaving about three inches separating the sticks. Wrap the wire around at least twice to hold it in place.  Repeat this step until you have all of one side wrapped in wire with the sticks equally separated.  Cross the wire over and around the top stick so you can go down the other side, wrapping the wire around each stick twice before moving to the one below it.  Cut a 12” length of wire to attach to the top. Wrap one side around the top stick, then wrap the wire around your star, then back down to the other side of the top stick.  Take your tree outside to spray paint desired color. While the paint is wet, sprinkle with glitter.  If I’m using white paint, I like to sprinkle with white, gold or silver glitter. You can also skip this step and leave your tree naturally rustic.  After the tree is dry, wrap the twinkle lights around the wire that is holding the tree branches together. You can also wrap lights around each branch, or decorate with ornaments, as shown. Use your creativity! The sky (or tree) is the limit!