These lovely little Christmas trees  are easy, fun and inexpensive to make. They can be decorated with stick on gems, threaded beads, coloured wire, glitter glue, tinsel, etc.

Materials required –

Lutradur 70 Acrylic paints Battery operated tea lights (available from Hobbycraft, Wilkinson’s etc) Decorations, such as glitter glue, adhesive glass beads etc. Thin green wire (optional)

Here’s how to make them –

1.   For each tree, cut a semi-circle of Lutradur 70 with a radius of approximately 10 cms. This can be done by drawing round a dinner plate, saucepan lid or by using a compass. (This size allows two trees to be made from an A4 piece of Lutradur and fits well around the battery operated tea lights) 2.   Place the semi-circle on a protective surface  such as kitchen towel or a plastic sheet.  This is important because the paint applied to Lutradur will soak through to the underside, colouring both sides. 3.   Paint the Lutradur using acrylic paint (not too thick or the light will not shine through). Random brush strokes and an uneven density of paint give the best and most realistic results. 4.   Allow the paint to dry or use a hair-drier to speed up the process. 5.   When dry, form the tree by rolling the semicircle into a conical shape and staple or pin the bottom edges into position 6.   Cut a piece of Lutradur to form the trunk. Wide enough to go around the tea light and tall enough to stand the tree off the table, (approximately 4 cms or 1.5 inch high) and paint brown. Cutting angles into the top edge will make shadows to resemble branches when the tree is illuminated. 7.  To make the name holder, wind a piece of thin green or coloured wire twice around a wooden spoon handle, twist the ends together and thread through the top of the tree, leaving the ends long enough to balance the wire loops and keep them secure. 8.   Position the tea light towards the top of the painted trunk to allow the maximum light. 9.   Decorate the tree with glitter glue, beads or adhesive gems to imitate Christmas baubles and place on top of the trunk. 10.   Switch on the tea light and enjoy a little bit of Christmas magic!