Materials

• Clean glass jar (jam, mason, pasta sauce. Labels removed)
  
• Student acrylics: blue and a tiny bit of black for sky tones; optional: metallics or glitter varnish
  
• Fiber Paste (for textured snow)
  
• Black cardstock or construction paper (for silhouettes)
  
• Glue stick or Gel Medium (matte) + foam brush
  
• Paint brushes (1 big flat + 1 small round) and a sponge or makeup wedge
  
• Masking tape, scissors (craft knife for adults), ruler/pencil
  
• LED tealight (no real flames)
  
• Ribbon/twine for the rim (optional)

Steps

1. Prep the jar
   
   Wash and dry the glass so paint sticks. Tape off the rim if you want a clean top edge.
   
2. Paint a winter sky (optional but lovely)
   
   Mix a soft blue (white + a touch of blue; add the tiniest speck of black to mute). Use a big brush or sponge to coat the outside of the jar in a thin, even layer. Fade lighter toward the bottom. Let dry 10–15 minutes.
   
3. Add ground snow
   
   Using Fibre Paste, dab a snowy bank around the bottom 2–4 cm of the jar with a sponge or stippling brush. Feather the top edge so it looks fluffy.
   
4. Cut silhouettes
   
   Cut the shapes (houses, trees, stars) vary heights for depth. (Adults can help with chimneys/points.)
   
5. Apply the village
   
   Brush a thin coat of Gel Medium Matte or glue onto the outside of the jar where each piece will go. Press silhouettes on, smoothing bubbles from the center outward. Overlap a few for a layered look.
   
6. Snowfall + stars
   
   With fiber paste, dot falling snow using a toothpick/cotton swab. For tiny stars, use the small round brush and a steady hand.
   
7. Seal (optional)
   
   When dry, brush a light coat of Gel Medium Matte over the silhouettes to protect them. Avoid thick coats on the “snow” so you keep the texture.
   
8. Finish the top
   
   Tie ribbon/twine around the rim. Add a tag if it’s a gift.
   
9. Light it up
   
   Pop in an LED tealight and enjoy the glow through the windows and trees.
   

Tips & Variations

• Icy sparkle: Mix a touch of metallic or iridescent medium into the snow paint.
  
• Northern Lights: Blend streaks of turquoise/green over the sky before adding snow.
  
• Kid-quick version: Skip the blue base—just silhouettes + snow paint.
  
• Classroom hack: Have students paint on clear plastic cups instead of glass (lighter, no breakage).
  
• Clean-up: Student acrylics wash out with soap/water while wet; once dry, they’re permanent on fabric.

Materials

• Student acrylics (red, yellow, blue, green—plus white for highlights)
  
• A roll of kraft paper
  
• Black fine-liner or marker
  
• Palette or paper plate, scrap paper, baby wipes
  
• Optional: metallic acrylic, cotton swabs (for very young kids)
  

Steps

1. Draw the wire. With the black marker, draw a loose, wavy line across the card. Add tiny oval sockets every few centimeters.
   
2. Make the bulbs. Press a fingertip into a small pool of paint, blot once on scrap paper, then stamp right after each socket. Vary colours as you go.
   
3. Add a quick highlight. With a tiny dab of white acrylic, dot the top edge of each bulb—instant glassy shine.
   
4. Finish details. Use the marker to connect bulbs to the wire and add tiny zig-zag “glints” if you like. Write your greeting.
   
5. Dry & clean. Let dry 5–10 minutes. Wipe fingers before colours change; acrylic is permanent once dry.
   

Variations

• Gift wrap: Stamp strings of lights across kraft paper; add a matching gift tag.
  
• Tiny hands friendly: Use cotton swabs for bulbs instead of fingers.
  
• Palette ideas:
  
  Classic: red/green/yellow/blue
  
  Pastel: mint/pink/sky/lavender (mix with white)
  
  Glam: add metallic gold or silver bulbs

Materials (per ornament)

• Kraft paper ornament ball with hanging loop
  
• Student acrylics: white + 2–3 colours (add gold/silver for sparkle)
  
• Small flat brush + small round brush (or foam brush)
  
• Water cup, paper towel, palette (paper plate works)
  
• Optional: painter’s tape, cotton swabs, toothpicks, paint pen
  
• Optional sealer: water-based gloss or matte varnish
  
• Ribbon/twine for hanging
  

Steps

1. Basecoat (3–5 min) – Paint a thin coat of white or your lightest colour. Set on a cup or hang; dry 5–10 min.
   
2. Colour Layers (5–10 min) – Add 1–2 thin colour coats. Rotate the ornament as you paint.
   
3. Details (3–5 min) – Use a small brush or paint pen for dots, stars, stripes, tiny trees, or hand-lettering the year.
   
4. Seal (optional) – Brush on a thin coat of water-based varnish when fully dry.
   

Fast Variations (pick one)

• Speckled Snow: Tap a stiff brush loaded with thinned white acrylic to flick snowy specks.
  
• Colour-Block Band: Wrap painter’s tape around the middle, paint below, peel for a crisp division.
  
• Marbled Swirl: Dot two colours directly on the surface and sweep together with a dry brush.
  
• Fingerprint Lights: Press small colour “bulbs” with fingertips; draw a black wire with a paint pen.
  
• Metallic Fade: Dry-brush gold from the top downward to a soft fade.
  

Tips & Drying

• Thin coats = faster dry (10–20 min) and fewer brush marks.
  
• If paint beads, lightly scuff with paper towel and repaint.
  
• Dry by resting on a cup or by hanging from a skewer bridged over two cups.
  
• Young kids do great with cotton swabs instead of tiny brushes.

Materials

• Watercolour paper cards (140 lb / 300 gsm), or cut & fold from a sheet
  
• Watercolours (green, yellow, a dark blue or brown for shadows)
  
• Brushes: round #6–8 + detail #2
  
• 2 water jars (clean/dirty), paper towel, palette
  
• Painter’s tape or washi (for masking and/or a clean border)
  
• Optional: white crayon (resist), masking fluid, salt, metallic watercolour, white gouache or gel pen for snow/highlights
  

Steps

1. Prep the card Tape a thin border if you want a gallery edge. Mask a simple triangle tree (use the template if helpful). Burnish tape edges with a finger/spoon.
   
2. Wet-in-wet tree wash With clean water, evenly wet the paper inside the triangle until it has a soft sheen (no puddles). Mix two greens: a light (green + water) and a dark (green + touch of blue/brown).
   
   Paint the light green over the triangle, then drop darker green near the sides and base. Tilt the card to let colours mingle. (Optional: a pinch of salt for snowy texture.)
   
3. Trunk & star When the tree is just damp or dry, paint a small brown rectangle at the base and a yellow star at the tip. Metallic gold looks great here.
   
4. Details While damp: add a few darker, angled strokes to suggest branches. When dry: dot tiny ornaments with the tip of the brush; add a thin shadow under the tree with diluted blue/grey.
   
5. Snow & greeting Splatter thinned white acrylic gouache for snow (protect the border with scrap paper). Letter “JOY” or a short greeting.
   
   Peel tape slowly at a low angle when completely dry.

Holiday Wood Sign with Fusion Mineral Paint

Materials

• Wood board (e.g., 6" × 18" pine or 8" × 10" panel), lightly sanded
  
• Fusion Mineral Paint: 1 background colour + 1 letter/accent colour (optional metallic)
  
• Stencil (JOY/NOEL/MERRY) or printed transfer, painter’s tape
  
• Brushes: 1–1.5" flat + small stencil/pouncer; paper plate palette
  
• 120–220 grit sandpaper, lint-free cloth
  
• Ruler/pencil, sawtooth hanger or twine
  
• Optional: clear water-based topcoat for heavy-use/outdoor exposure
  

Steps

1. Prep – Sand smooth and wipe dust. Mark the board’s centerline in pencil.
   
2. Basecoat – Brush on a thin even coat of Fusion; let dry. Add a second thin coat if your wood shows through.
   
3. Position stencil – Tape or use light repositionable spray adhesive; burnish edges.
   
4. Stencil letters – Load a dry stencil brush, then off-load most paint on a paper towel. Tap or swirl in light passes (2–3 coats) to avoid bleed-under.
   
5. Peel – Lift the stencil while paint is slightly wet. Touch up with a fine brush if needed.
   
6. Finish – Optional soft edge-distress with 220 grit. Add a thin clear coat if the sign will be handled a lot or used outdoors. Attach hanger or tie twine.
   

Colour ideas (easy crowd-pleasers)

• Classic: black background + white letters; pop of bright red.
  
• Forest: deep green background + cream letters; metallic gold star.
  
• Nordic: midnight blue background + crisp white; silver snowflakes.
  

Pro tips

• Multiple light coats > one heavy coat.
  
• Adhesive back on stencils gives razor-sharp edges.
  
• No stencil? Do a graphite transfer: rub pencil on the back of a printout, trace, then paint inside the lines.
  
• Let pieces dry before stacking; ultimate hardness develops with time.