Make these tiny pears for your feather tree...

These tiny pears without their hooks are
no larger longer than one inch.

        Miniature cotton batting pears are simple enough to shape from cotton batting for a beginner. Paint them using water color like washes of acrylic. The acrylics will remain brilliant longer next to artificial lighting over time. Although, I do not hang fairy lights on my feather tree, some of you may choose to do this and so use a paint that has some durability but that also looks delicate after being applied.

Supply List:

• cotton balls (one or two)
• thin wire
• acrylic paints: two greens, brown yellow
• translucent glitter
• white school glue
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Unravel the cotton balls.
2. Cut a thin piece of wire and drip on a tiny bit of glue.
3. Wrap the wire with a fine film of cotton. Roll this wire between the palms of your hands to tighten the fibers down.
4. Snip off one inch of the wire and wrap a tear drop pear shape onto the wire slowly. Use glue between the layers of cotton. Let dry.
5. Smooth on a final glue finish and let it dry.
6. Paint the pear with a brown stem.
7. Add a unsaturated green around the edge of the batting that buts up against the stem. Gradually add more water to the green on the pear as you dab towards the center of the shape.
8. Water down the yellow and dab this on the center of the pear. As you approach the bottom end paint with a more intense yellow. Try to make the colors of your pear filter gently into one another, as through you are painting with water color washes on paper.
9. Smear on a bit of white glue after the paint colors have dries and sprinkle on the glitter. Let dry.
10. Paint the vine, which will also act as a hook, a darker green or another green entirely. Let dry and twist it about the stem of the pear into a hook shape.