Cardboard Tube Snowflakes

Materials

paper towel or toilet paper rolls
white glue
3M Super77 spray glue or similar
white spray paint
Glitterex Corp. crystal clear glitter or similar
plate or shallow bowl
paper cutter or scissors and pencil

1. Lay a paper towel or toilet paper roll on a table and flatten it by running the heel of your hand up and down the length of it.

2. Using a paper cutter, cut the roll into 1/2-inch segments. You will yield approximately 20 leaf-shaped segments from a paper towel roll. If you do not have a paper cutter, flatten the roll and mark it off in 1/2-inch segments. Cut the segments with a pair of scissors (figure A).

3. Using white glue, glue two segments together at the tips of the "leaf" (figure B). Allow to dry.

4. Continue this process until you have four double-leafed segments.

5. Using white glue, glue two of the double-leafed segments together at the centers of the segments (figure C).

6. Continue gluing the remaining two double-leafed segments together until all four of the double-leafed segments are attached to form the snowflake design (figure D).

7. Allow the glue to dry. Tip: You may aid the gluing process by clipping the glued sections together with clothespins.

8. Spray paint the snowflake white, making sure to spray all surfaces evenly (figure E). Allow to dry.

9. Empty the contents of a 4-1/2-ounce jar of glitter onto a plate or into a shallow plastic container large enough to accommodate the snowflake.

10. Using spray glue, coat all surfaces of the painted snowflake. Lay the sprayed snowflake into the glitter and coat it thoroughly (figure F).

11. To intensify the effect, repeat the spray glue and glittering step (figure G).

The basic leaf shape can be combined in many different ways to form different snowflakes (figure H).

Completed snowflakes may also be joined together to make frosty filigree wreaths (figure I).

Use individual snowflakes as Christmas tree ornaments by attaching small pieces of wire (figure J).

Snowflakes can be attached directly to windows by using craft-size Glue Dots. Press the snowflake to a Glue Dot; then press the Glue Dot to the window. The snowflake can be easily removed and will not damage the window.

Attach thread to the tops of several different snowflakes and hang them at different lengths in a window using thumb tacks attached to the other end of the thread. This will allow the snowflakes to move and shimmer on your Christmas tree.