Description

Make small houses out of empty cartons, which form an idyllic Christmas village, complete with bright mini poinsettias and wintry decorations. Step 1: Wash out the empty cartons thoroughly and leave to dry. Cut off the tops with the craft knife/scissors, then carefully remove the printed outer layers to create neutral surfaces for the rest of the design. Step 2: Mark out the roof, windows and doors on the boxes with a pencil, then carefully cut them out with the craft knife/scissors. As well as closed houses with space for electric tea lights, you can also cut out open versions. With these, only one side of the box is used as the front of the house, while the other three sides are used to make an open container - perfect for displaying mini poinsettias. Step 3: Paint the cardboard houses with emulsion or acrylic paint in the colours of your choice and leave to dry. Step 4: For the open houses, fill the bottoms of the cut-out containers with moss. This will hold the mini poinsettias securely and add a natural touch to the display. Then place the plants in their pots into the containers and surround them with more moss to cover the pots. Tip: Water your poinsettias well before placing them in the containers.