Peg Art Christmas Star

Funky peg art stars can make a modern looking display. The stars are simply made from pegs and can be painted in any colour to fix in with your Christmas decoration theme.

To make a peg art Christmas star you will need…
20 spring type clothes pegs, a suitable wood glue, paint, thread for a hanging loop, a glass bottle and two identical blocks of wood - Jenga bricks are ideal. Don’t worry, they are just for support and will be fine to return to the game afterwards.

To start with you need to dismantle the clothes pegs and remove the springs. You’ll find this is easy to do, just twist the peg ends in opposite directions.

Glue your peg halves backs together so that the flat sides are back to back. You will end up with a round bulbous end and a thin tapered end. Leave the pegs to dry.

The star centre piece.
With the pegs on their side sop that you can see the glued joining line, stick 6 pegs together at their round end. Each peg needs to be lined up in a straight line with the peg opposite it. A small hole will naturally form at the centre of the pegs as you align them. Leave the centre piece to dry.

The star quarter pieces.
Again with the pegs on their side join 3 pegs together at the round ends. The pegs need to be at 45 degrees angle from one another.

Make two star quarter pieces in this way and allow to dry.

Star double pieces.
With the pegs on their sides, stick two pegs together at the round end at a 45 degrees angle.

Make four double pieces in this way and allow to dry.

To assemble the star…
With the star centre piece flat on the table glue on one quarter piece on one quarter piece in an upright position so that the centre peg is directly above the hole in the star centre piece.

Put a jenga block on both sides and running parallel to the quarter piece at approximately 2.5cm away.

Take two star double pieces and rest them on these blocks with the round ends glued to meet the rounded ends of the star centre piece and the quarter piece.

The double pieces should be adjusted so that they form a 45 degree angle between the other two pieces.

Leave the star to dry.

To attach the quarter and double pieces to the other side of the star, you need to stand the star in a glass bottle with a slim neck.

This will make the centrepiece flat as before. Glue on the quarter and double pieces in the same way as before and leave the star to dry.

Paint the star in whatever colour you choose. It is probably easiest to use car spray paint, do follow the instructions on the tin and only spray in a properly ventilated room. A few thin even coats will give the best finish.

When the paint is dry thread some gold thread through a hole in one of the star spikes. This is the hanging loop to suspend the star.

For extra glamour wind tinsel around the star spikes at the heart of the star.

For illustrations and a step by step illustrated guide visit http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/christmas-star-peg-art-chrismas-decoration.html

SantasPostBag.co.uk is a free educational resource packed with creative things to do over the festive period including traditional, religious and 21st Century activities. Click here for another great peg art idea - http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/peg-art-teapot-stand.html