Use the templates to create these colourful Christmas decorations to place on your table or mantelpiece.

YOU WILL NEED

• 120ml Chalk Paint in your chosen colours
• 120ml Clear Wax or Lacquer
• Detail Brushes
• Mark making tools – cork, end of pencil or brush handle etc.
• Bird templates
• Card – 200–300gsm
• Carbon paper
• Craft knife/scalpel or scissors
• Cutting mat if using a craft knife or scalpel
• Hole punch
• Thin ribbon, cord or embroidery thread
• Air-drying clay – 500g
• Twigs or wire

STEP BY STEP

Step 1
Download and print the bird templates, resizing them if necessary. Using carbon paper, transfer the shapes onto the card. Turn the card over and paint the reverse in one colour. Allow to dry.

Step 2
Turn the card over and paint the birds with your chosen Chalk Paint colours, staying within the lines. Follow our examples or create your own designs using brushes and mark making tools.

Step 3
Once dry, carefully cut out the bird shapes using a craft knife or scissors. If using a craft knife or scalpel, work on a cutting mat to protect your surface.

Step 4
Punch a 2mm hole in each bird where you want it to hang. Seal the painted decorations with Clear Wax or Lacquer, then thread ribbon, cord or embroidery thread through the hole and tie a knot.

Step 5
To create the base, fill an empty coffee pod capsule or similar with air-drying clay. Remove the clay, smooth any creases and insert a foraged twig or length of wire. Seal around the top with thick slip. Allow to dry for 24–48 hours, then paint with Chalk Paint.

Step 6
Allow to dry for 24–48 hours, then paint with Chalk Paint. Once dry, seal the base with Matt Lacquer. Hang your painted bird from the twig and arrange your decorations on your table or mantelpiece.

TOP TIPS

Add decorative highlights to your painted birds using Gold Metal Leaf and Gold Size. Use coloured card or Kraft card so you don’t have to paint the reverse. To stop the birds from curling, place them under a few books once fully dry to keep them flat.

We love our Woodland Bird shapes, but you can draw your own shapes. Traditional Christmas motifs like stars, angels, reindeer and stockings would work just as well.