Start Thinking Spring! Lanterns

Beautiful, easy to make spring lanterns. This is a great activity for preteen and older. Obviously, you can make your designs as simple or complex as you like.




Supplies:

Paper Lantern*

Mod Podge with a little water to thin it out

Foam or Craft Brush

Tissue Paper (The better the quality the less likely to fade)

Scissors

Patience

*You can buy a white lantern (they come in all different shapes & sizes!) from Ikea, Pier 1, or your craft store (I just saw mini ones at Michael's in the $1 bin.) You do not have to buy a white lantern -- the pink lantern (see picture) came pink. If you choose a colored lantern remember that light colored tissue will show through the base color. It is a very nice effect. I used tissue to make the blue globe blue. It was originally a white lantern.

It helps to have a clear idea of what you want to do before you start! Be creative! Please send me photos of your finished lanterns!

The technique is very simple.
Paint a little glue on lantern
Gently apply your piece without getting glue on your fingers
Using your brush paint some more glue over top to flatten
Layer the tissue for depth and interest
(Notice the butterfly is made up of several layered pieces on the Cherry Blossom Lantern)
Don't forget your lantern will be viewed from all sides
When your lantern is dry paint a thin layer of glue over to protect your work
Hang & Enjoy
Exposure to intense sunlight may fade your lantern over time (that's why buying high quality tissue helps)

Note: I used a stencil for the lettering on the globe. I printed out the boys name in the font & size that I wanted. I traced the letters onto tissue and cut then out. You can also purchase electrical kits at Ikea so you can hang a light inside the lantern.