Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

Earlier this year, I was surfing the web and saw something that literally grabbed my imagination from a company called Snow Windows. They use spray snow to create these amazing Christmas designs on shop windows.

I secretly wondered if I could do something like this myself for Christmas. I mean, I could push a paintbrush around, so having fun with a can of snow should be a doddle.

As Christmas approached, I didn’t tell anyone what I planned to do with our windows. The family probably assumed it would be more of the sparkly snowflakes that I normally used; I just hoped I could produce something equal to my imagination!

I spent hours studying the experts on YouTube, desperately trying to learn the basics. The best one was infuriatingly fast, deliberately speeded up to look more impressive, but as far as I could tell, these lovely pictures were created with just a can of spray snow and a paintbrush.

As Christmas day approached, I knew I had to plan what day would be best. I wanted to be alone, to succeed or fail in private, no helpful family members with all their well-meaning opinions and suggestions.

The appointed day arrived, and I had butterflies the size of a house all jumping around in my stomach as I cleaned the windows in preparation.

I had a lovely screensaver on my computer of a snow scene to go by, complete with pine trees and snow banks, a lovely sky with a full moon in the corner. This was just the kind of image I wanted to do.

The moon was no problem. I cut a circle on one side of a cornflake packet and used it like a stencil.

The sky was pretty easy too, you can really have fun with a spray can!

But this was when everything went pear-shaped as I discovered to my horror, that I cannot draw/spray a pine tree to save my life!

Now, what on earth could I do about that?

I had a moon, sailing in a lovely cloudy sky… and precious little else.

A sneaky idea crept into my head, something I had also seen on YouTube. I could try to paint some trees with white paint. But try as I might, the tree that was in my mind refused to appear on the glass. My trees all looked like Chinese calligraphy.

I managed to create a snow scene on two windows, but I was bitterly disappointed. You may judge for yourselves, but please be kind?

I have already decided to practice painting trees in 2018, as I know  I will do better next year!

(The rest of the Christmas decorations went well, and we just adore the feather boa on the tree!)