LIGHTED SNOWFLAKEHow-To

SKILL LEVEL: Beginner

TIME: 2 hours

COST: $25-$50

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TOOLS AND MATERIALS:– 4 – 1/4-inch by 2-inch by 4-foot poplar boards

– 1 – 5/16-inch by 3-inch carriage bolt

– 1 – 5/16-inch nut

– 4 – 5/16-inch flat washers

– 100-count string of LED Christmas lights

– Drill

– 3/8-inch drill bit

– Flat ruler

– Square

– Wood glue

– White spray-paint

STEP 1: CUT THE PIECESCut the poplar boards in half. Each piece should be two feet long.

STEP 2: CREATE THE CENTERFind the exact center of one of the pieces by measuring down its length one foot. Drill a hole. Use this as a template and drill through each piece at the same point. This center hole is for the bolt that will secure all the pieces together.

STEP 3: DRILL THE HOLESOn each side of the center hole, drill five holes, evenly spaced apart. Drill through one piece of poplar at a time, using your first piece as a template to help match the spacing. Secure the two pieces together with a clamp, rubber band, or tape so that they don’t shift around. Each light should fit tightly in each drilled hole, so make sure they fit properly before drilling the rest of the holes.

LIGHTED SNOWFLAKEHow-To

STEP 4: ATTACH THE ARMSOnce you finish drilling, glue two pieces together at a 90- degree angle. Make sure it is a 90-degree angle by using a square. Line up the middle holes. Repeat these steps until all of your pieces have been paired up, leaving you with four paired-up pieces.

STEP 5: CREATE THE SIDESOnce your 90-degree pieces have dried, glue two pairs together in the center to form an asterisk; repeat with the other two pairs. At this point, you should have two snowflakes.

STEP 6: PAINTSpray-paint each piece, front and back. You may also want to spray-paint the top of the bolt and the nut so that they will blend in.

LIGHTED SNOWFLAKEHow-To

STEP 7: CREATE THE SNOWFLAKERun your carriage bolt through the center of one snowflake; then, put three washers in the middle. Add your second snowflake and loosely add your bolt.

STEP 8: ADD THE LIGHTSStart in the middle of the snowflake. Use the end that has the outlet. Run the lights up and down each arm of the snowflake. Once you reach the last arm of your snowflake, you will put your lights in differently. Starting at the bottom, insert a light on one side, and then stretch the next light to the other snowflake. Do this all the way up, which will allow you to hang your snowflake by the string of lights.

LIGHTED SNOWFLAKEHow-To