A starry snowflake can be made from four cocktail sticks broken in half or eight matching short lengths of straw. Using self-adhesive white or gold star shapes, arrange eight ends to centre on the sticky surface of one star, adding a little more glue if neces- sary. Cover ends with another star. Sandwich the eight points between pairs of stars and add a loop of cotton to hangthedecoration by (fig 7). fig 7 Simple glitter stars can be made by cutting out different sized stars in card and coating them either side with glue. Press each side firmly on a paper gen- erously sprinkled with glitter and then press the star between two sheets of paper and shake off surplus to use next time. Thread a strong cotton loop through the tip of the star with a damn- Merry Christmas A host of angels or Christmas cherubs can be made very simply by cutting photographs of babies out of magazines. In gold card cut two back- ing shapes for each photograph adding pairs of wings. Glue the two winged shapes together and stick the photo- graph into position. If you are using these shapes to make a mobile it may take time and patience to balance the mobile correctly as each cut-out will vary slightly in weight depending on the size of the original picture (fig 8). ss Fine tissue paper snowflakes can be used to make delicate mobiles, to dec- orate Christmas cards or to make a snowstorm on the window. Snow- flakes can have a square or circular form following the folding shown in the diagrams. Make a card pattern as shown (figs 9 & 10) and cut out of the Jolded tissue. With a little practice you will be able to cut several snowflakes at once. fig10 Mobiles can be made in any number of shapes and combinations from very simple to highly complicated depending on your expertise and also your patience in achieving the correct balance. There are three very simple, basic shapes. The first is a straight bar of strong wire or a fine wooden rod from which the decorations hang (fig 7). The second is a circle of stiff card stapled or glued securely and sus- pended on threads attached at four equidistant points. Hang decorations at differing lengths around the frame and also from the centre point. The third mobile is a triangle formed in strong wire or fine wooden rods. The wire is twisted or hooked together at each corner and the wooden rods secured with glue. Self-adhesive star shapes form strengthening backing on either side of the joints and strong thread is attached at each corner both to hang the decorations on and to suspend the mobile from. A string of the chosen shapes can again be hung from the central point to give the mobile added interest (fig 8). The traditional Danish red and white woven paper hearts are easy to make with practice and can also be used to make attractive mobiles or to hang on the Christmas tree. Fold two pieces of paper in half as shown in fig 11, one red and one white. Draw a semi-circle at the open ends as shown, and cut away. Cut up to point where paper curves, once, twice, or more de- pending on how complicted you wish the weaving of the hearts to be. Weave the hearts together in a lattice pattern tucking the edge strips into each other to secure, as shown in fig 11. It may take some experimentation to get the pattern right both sides, but once you have mastered the technique you can make the hearts quickly and easily. Move on to more complicated lattice as you get more skilful but remember 1t is always more satisfactory to have nicely made simple decorations than elaborate designs which haven't quite worked. Thread gold cord through the top of the heart or glue on a tab loop. 19