Christmas tips from Feltham Arts

The Chronicle teamed up with Suzy John from Feltham Arts Association and youngsters from Cardinal Road Infant & Nursery School, in Feltham, to offer some inspiration for a DIY Christmas.

SPARKLING SNOWFLAKE DECORATIONS

- Draw round a blank CD onto white paper
- Cut out the circle
- Fold in quarter or eight
- Cut small pieces from the edges of the folded paper
- Unfold the paper and glue to the CD
- Repeat the process and stick to the other side
- Tie string through the centre and hang around the house

GLITTERY CHRISTMAS CARDS

- Cut a Christmas tree shape from coloured card and paste it to a different-coloured piece of card folded in half
- Cover the tree in clear glue and sprinkle with glitter or other decorations

OTHER IDEAS FOR OLDER CHILDREN

- Marzipan fruits - use marzipan and food dye to make basic shapes and decorate with cloves and green angelica (for stalks). Prick with a cocktail stick to create pitted effect for oranges, lemons and strawberries
- Decorative candle holders - buy plain tea light holder and cover with glass stones, seashells or sequins
- Photo albums
- Recipe books - Write out your (or your parents') favourite tried-and-tested recipes and add to a binder, leaving space for fresh ideas
- Homemade fudge - recipes available at www.bbc.co.uk/food
- Orange clove pomander - cover an orange with cloves and leave to dry in a mix of spices, like nutmeg and cinnamon, before decorating with red ribbon
- Stone paperweights - scour the garden for a heavy stone and personalise with paint and glitter