Christmas Star Craft

When you want to give the perfect Christmas gift, sometimes it is very hard to find just the right thing for someone. A few years ago I wanted to come up with something memorable for my grandmother's Christmas present. Because I was on a budget, I knew I would have to come up with an unusual homemade gift and knowing my grandmother, she would be more appreciative of such a gift anyway. What I came up with turned into a great project that Grandma loved and keeps hanging on her wall year-round (even though it's more of a Christmas decoration).

My grandmother has large, white hibiscus stalks in her yard and when the flowers die off in the fall, what is left are tall, thick woody sticks that must be cut down. Seeing these gave me inspiration for my craft. I cut five dried hibiscus sticks to equal lengths.

I started out with two sticks. Using hot glue and a length of jute twine I formed the two sticks into an A shape. Next, I attached a stick at the bottom of the right stick, using glue and twine to attach sticks in every spot where they crossed each other.

The next stick I put into place crossed horizontally over the top part of the star. The final stick attached to the right side of this horizontal stick and the end of the left stick of the original A.

The final touch for this homemade Christmas star is to add some decorative items. I chose to add a sprig of red Christmas berries to the bottom of the star and create a multi-loop bow out of jute twine. After I added a length of twine as a hanger, this Christmas star was ready for wrapping and gifting. You could also use silk leaves, silk flowers or other types of decorative items to spruce this up. Fake candy canes could

My star was approximately 16 inches in width and was made from Grandma's hibiscus plants. This same design can be used in any size using any type of materials--small twigs or sticks, even straws for a fun craft with the kids.

Make small versions of this craft as rustic country Christmas ornaments to give as gifts, decorate your own tree or decorate the outside of Christmas gifts.

In the end, my grandmother loved her star and it was even more special because it had been made by me, using her own dried hibiscus stalks. The total cost for me was about two dollars for the cost of the Christmas berry sprig.