Moulded Christmas decorating tips for tables, trees and gifts

Christmas decorating tips: Enjoy making these colourful mouldings!

Chocolate moulds;

2 x Empty yoghurt containers, one for mixing plaster and one for paint brush rinse water;

Plastic spoon;

1 litre of water;

Pipe cleaners cut in 15cm pieces;

1kg of dental plaster powder or yellow stone or plaster of Paris;

Acrylic paints (including a warm brown colour);

Paint brushes;

Old T-shirt or apron;

Old newspaper to protect your work surface;

Cooking oil spray or Vaseline (only a thin layer is needed on the inside of the moulds);

Toilet paper;

Clear varnish;

Method:

Cover and protect your work surface with news paper.

Spray the mould with cooking spray or smear on a thin layer of Vaseline. This will ensure the plaster does not stick to the mould.

Bend the pipe cleaners double at one end about one cm from the end. You can also use string with a knot at the end to secure the loop inside the plaster.

If you are using string, place the knotted side inside the empty moulds. Pour the wet plaster into the moulds. Tap the mould gently so that most of the air bubbles rise to the surface. Put the double ended side of the pipe cleaner inside the mixture. Leave the plaster to set.

Prepare the paint brush rinse water and add a drop or two of dishwashing liquid. Once the moulds are set, tip them out. You might need to paint a white base coat on the casts if the plaster is very porous.

First apply some brown paint onto the cast and into the cavities. Before the brown coat dries totally, wipe most of it off with the toilet paper. This gives your cast some definition and depth. When the brown layer is dry use other colours to complete your painting. Use a dry brush and only a touch of paint for lighter areas. First test this technique on paper before applying to your cast.

Christmas is a time of celebration and thanks, and can easily be a time to incorporate our own hands and their handiwork in fashioning sweet and memorable Christmas crafts for children.

Click on the pictures below for more Christmas decorations you can make using ice cream sticks.

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