It happens overnight. Out with the pumpkin orange and harvest gold and in with all shades of red and green. It’s a bit of work but oh so much fun! Even having to pull the #@%&# cat out of the Christmas tree several times daily adds to the festivity. I would leave the cat alone but the dogs won’t quit barking while Bubba remains perched in there.

As a kid our Christmas decorations in our home were centered on an elaborately decorated sixteen foot mantle. Twelve red flocked (yes, flocked) reindeer pranced across the mantle leading an elaborate sled across mounds of white and silver tinsel snow lit with little white lights. Blinking above this scene were dimensional stars that my mother had made out of cardstock, spray painted silver and sprinkled with silver glitter. To a kid it was spectacular!

I always seem to incorporate my artwork into my Christmas decorations. This year the stars my mother made 50 years ago came to mind. A Zentangle project with a Christmas theme seemed just the perfect calming project as I shooed the dogs out the door and disengaged Bubba from the tree again.

The stars are simple to make and with a little scoring at the right spots turn into darling three-dimensional ornaments. What a wonderful canvas to lay down a little seasonal Zentangle art!

I made my original template from folding paper and making one cut (the Betsy Ross method for those of you who paid attention in grade school). But if any of you want to make stars of your own, I have made a star template with instructions for you. You can reduce or enlarge the template to make the size star that works for you. I made my stars with cold press water color-paper and plan to add a little color to some of them. The water-color paper works beautifully for this project. It is heavy and holds the scored creases, has a bit of a tooth to it so it is wonderful to draw on with a Pigma pen.

After 50 years my mother’s stars are still in pristine condition, minus a little glitter. It’s remarkable of the longevity of this simple little paper craft and the memories it evokes. So don’t forget to sign and date your stars, as Maria says, respect your work. And think of the fun it will be when your kids unpack that box 50 years from now.

So here at the holidays, when you need to escape from the chaos, grab your pen and make some memories. Ohmmmmm…