Friday, March 9, 2012

DIY Lantern Fun! The Steps

After making spaghetti last night I decided to use the jar to make a lantern, in order to save what un-bruised skin I have left from the evil countertops that jump out at me in the dark.  It hasn't gone through testing yet, since the sun is still high, but I think this was a success story!



First, a list of supplies:
What we see here is some latex paint (peach color), silver craft paint, q-tips, an old (but clean) washcloth, a yogurt container (popsicle stick inside), and a bowl holding a mixture of water and a few drops of dish soap.  The only thing missing from the photo is the jar itself.  Oops.

So what did I do?

1. First, I used the soapy water to thin the paint that I found in the basement.  The yogurt container housed the mixture that I stirred with a popsicle stick, slowly adding water until it was about the consistency of store-bought chocolate milk.

(I'm not sure why I chose drops of soap mixed with water, exactly... I just read somewhere that it works as paint thinner for acrylic paint.  Of course, I've also read that unicorns poop rainbows, and I have yet to see it happen, so...)

2.  I used the popsicle stick to drip paint onto the outside of the jar, then rubbed the paint around with the washcloth in a circular motion.  I was going for a cloudy, rough texture, rather than a smooth one.

3.  After the cloudy paint layer was complete I took out the metallic paint and a q-tip.  Again, I wanted the end result to be rough in texture, so I used the q-tip to dot the paint onto the jar and into designs, rather than going for more elegant strokes with a brush.

Finally the lantern was dry, and I ran to find a candle to place inside!

 The jar's opening, however, was a bit too small to fit the candle... oops.

That was ok, though.  Not one to give up, I thought about what would work that was still packed away in the no-man's land that most people would simply call a basement.

I remembered a box of solar garden lights! 

I rushed into the basement and made my way through the maze of boxes until at last I found what I was looking for.  I held up a solar light with reverence, gazing at it with love.

Then I dismantled it.

Once I decided I had it set up in a way that would be aesthetically pleasing, I brought it to the table so that I could complete my lantern.


And now I anxiously wait for this evening's result.

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