Cinnamon Christmas Stars Decorations and Cinnamon Candle Decorations And Star Anise Baubles

In recent years where I can I have been having a go at making Christmas decorations from foliage, seed heads etc where I can just to add a little bit of me into the Christmas decorations rather than it all be bought baubles and glass and bits of plastic. I chanced upon this lovely tutorial for making home made Christmas Star decorations with a twist.  The stars have been made out of cinnamon sticks in place of twigs, which Rosy had taken her inspiration from.  I in turn at the moment cannot obtain long cinnamon sticks I only have the tiny ones which are not really big enough  for this project.  So in the same principals of being inspired I have some Indian version of Cinnamon which is more like the outer bark rather than the cinnamon itself so I am going to use them together with some star anise and some dried rosemary and probably some other seed pods.  A little bit of inspiration goes a long way.  Although I have sourced some larger cinnamon sticks at Hobbycraft.  I am going to need quite a few packets to do both these stars and a candle decoration that I have been longing to do for a few years.  I thought I would share this with you in case you also wanted to have a play in the run up to Christmas.

Cinnamon Stars

Here is the lovely tutorial for the stars

http://rosinahuber.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/cinnamon-christmas-stars.html

Cinnamon Candles

Here is a tutorial for making something similar but it is slightly larger scale but the principle is the same.

http://www.marthastewart.com/265482/table-decorations-cinnamon-candle

I am off again for a few days at the beginning of December so I will probably have a go at making these then (I am compiling my schedule so that I get things done next time) made them to go on some garlands that I have in the front room.

Star Anise Baubles

http://gardeningwithwilson.com/2009/12/18/

To add to this a few years ago from a well known local store I obtained a couple of baubles that had been made from star anise. They would appear to be made from a polystyrene ball that has been painted and then the star anise fitted closely all over the sphere with the whole star anise. The ones I bought were left unvarnished and look lovely but as they get older the star anise are becoming more fragile and so I thought that I would put a coat of matt varnish on them to just to make sure that they are a little more secure.  But they make the room smell lovely over the Christmas period and adds that little bit more atmosphere to the Christmas festivities.

Right I have to get to work.  I am a bit here and there for the next few days but hopefully will get chance to pop on for a brief while a little later.

Catch up soon

Pattypan