In the Philippines, the parol or Christmas lantern is part of the holiday celebrations in many homes. The parol represents the Star of Bethlehem, and is traditionally made from bamboo and tissue paper or cellophane, with more elaborate ones made from capiz shells. Today we'll make a Christmas tree ornament in the shape of a simple parol, using basic quilling techniques. Let's get started.

You will need:

* Quilling paper, 1/8 inch wide in white and yellow
* Quilling tool or cocktail toothpick
* Half-inch circle template (optional)
* Embroidery floss, ribbon or similar fiber
* White glue
* Ruler
* Scissors

To make the star:

Take a 9-inch strip of yellow paper and roll it tightly and evenly around a quilling tool or cocktail toothpick to form a coil. Remove the coil from the quilling tool or toothpick and let it unwind inside the ½ inch circle template. Secure the end of the coil with a bit of glue.

When dry, pinch the coil to form a point; it will look like a tear drop. Pinch the coil nearer the rounded part three more times to from a kite shape.

Make four more kite shapes. Next, glue the short sides of the kite shape together to form a star. Set aside.

To make the fans:

Take a 6-inch strip of paper, hold it near the end, and make a loop about 5/16 inch long. Glue the end of the loop in place. Fold the long part of the paper over the end of the loop, bring it up, and make another loop on the right side of the first loop. Fold the paper over the bottom of the loop, add a bit of glue, then make another loop on the left side of the first loop. Fold the paper over the bottom and glue in place. Make more loops, alternating the sides, until you have seven loops. Cut off the excess paper, and glue the end of the strip to the adjacent loop. Make a total of five fans and glue them between the points of the star.

To make the ring:

Take a 24-inch strip of white paper and roll it into a circle that's big enough to fit snugly around the star. Secure the ends of the paper with glue. Insert the star into the ring, and glue the two pieces together.

Take a 2-inch strip of white paper, then roll it into a small ring about ¼ inch in diameter. Secure the ends with glue, then glue it onto the top of the big ring near the top most point of the star; this will be the hanger.

To make the scrolls:

Cut 12 strips of white paper measuring 3 inches each. Roll one end of the strip halfway into a coil, then roll the other end halfway in the opposite direction. Repeat with the rest of the strips, then glue them around the ring.

To make the tail:

Cut a 6-inch strip of yellow paper, fold it in half, and loosely curl the ends of the strip. Repeat with another strip of paper, curling the ends more so that strip ends up shorter than the first. Cut a 3-inch strip of paper, and curl the end so that the strip is longer than either of the first two strips.

Nest the curled strips with the longest one inside and the shortest one outside, then glue them together at the folds. Glue the tail onto the bottom of the ring near the point of the star.

Make another tail and attach it to the other point.

Cut a length of embroidery floss and thread it through the ring at the top of the ornament. Secure the flow with a double overhand knot, and trim off the excess.