Lighten up.

Snowflakes might be synonymous with a northern hemisphere Christmas, but when we can across this little gem – we thought, “who cares! We’re sharing it with our party lovers”.

Obviously you could change the shape of the snowflakes if you desired – like initials of a name for someone’s birthday, or even a Christmas tree- but we love the snowflake, mainly because we never get to see them in Sydney!

What you’ll need…

–       Battery Operated LED Lights

–       Snowflake Template

–       Drill and drill bits

–       Duct tape

–       Wood board

–       Jigsaw

–       Large foam core boards

–       Knife, metal ruler and cutting mat

How to…

Step One: TRACE.

Trace your snowflake design onto your material. Keep in mind, you don’t need to make the snowfake as big as the one in these pics – especially if you’re doing multiple letters. Add the dots to the printout to mark where the lights should be so make sure to mark those dots when you are tracing as well.

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

Step Two: CUT.

Okay, here’s one part of the process where you can go either the less or more time-consuming route. If you want to use foam core for your marquee, you can just use an X-Acto knife and metal ruler to cut out your snowflake. For a thicker foam core sign, cut out more than one and glue them together. If you choose to use wood for this project instead, you’ll need a jigsaw, but if you don’t already have one the good news is that they are under $50, easy to use, and you’ll have a whole new range of wood DIYs you can tackle from now on. Totally worth it.

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

If you choose to use a jigsaw, clamp your wood (or have someone hold it) so that the portion of the wood you are cutting hangs over the side of a table or workbench that’s about waist high. Keep the flat metal bottom of the jigsaw close against the top of the wood as you cut into the board, and use the metal guide on the front of the saw to follow your outline. Don’t force the saw forward too fast or it won’t give you as clean of a cut, so just let the saw go at its own pace. Make all the cuts that you can get to from the outside of the snowflake.

Once your snowflake is cut, you can take a piece of fine sandpaper and smooth any rough edges.

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

Step Three: DRILL.

To make your light holes, use a drill bit or a paddle bit that makes a hole big enough to fit your lights through (aim for a bit size of 1/2″). A regular drill bit will work just fine for either wood or foam core, but paddle bits tend to give the cleanest holes in wood if you have access to one. Just drill with the paddle bit until the tip just goes through the other side, and then flip the wood and finish drilling the hole from the back.

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

Step Four: PAINT.

You guys know how to do this step. Choose whatever color you like (spray painting is an option too) or add a glitter coat with Mod Podge so the lights have extra sparkle.

Step Five: ADD LIGHTS

There’s not really a right or wrong place to start adding the lights in from the back, so just pick a spot and start adding! It’s also okay if you have to skip a bulb to make it to the next hole if the spacing is too far apart on some. Light-up signs actually look better when they have a few lights behind the sign, as they give it an extra glow against the wall. Use duct tape on the back of the sign to secure any loose lights or wires that might dangle in sight and to secure the battery packs.

Can’t you image being cuddled up under this sign with a blanket and hot chocolate this winter? It’s the perfect dose of quirky fun to add to your holiday decor, and since the snowflake is also a general winter icon, you can totally leave it up until spring has sprung.

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

DIY Christmas decoration snowflake party supplies craft

Need some more home DIY decoration ideas? Click here.

Source: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/11/giant-snowflake-light-up-marquee.html

 

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