Tissue Paper Lanterns project

tissue paper
lanterns
This project came to be by seeing photos
of mason jars decorated with lace doilies.
I had no doilies around the house,
but I did have a stash of fabric scraps
and tissue paper. It’s a fun project that
children of all ages can enjoy.
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materials
❉❉ White craft glue
❉❉ Water
❉❉ Tissue paper, two or three colors
❉❉ Glass jars of any shape and size
❉❉ Tea light or votive candle,
one per tissue paper lantern
tools
❉❉ Washable bowl
❉❉ Paintbrush
4
1
Tips
❉❉ Make crafts at a washable surface
in your home, or even outdoors.
The glue will inevitably run a bit,
especially if your kids are younger
and like to be a bit heavy-handed
with painting on the glue.
3
❉❉ The tissue paper colors may also
run a tiny bit from the drips of glue,
but it will easily wash off. There’s
nothing that warm soapy water
won’t take care of.
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2
technique
1
Prepare the glue mixture by
squeezing out a good amount of
glue into a bowl (about 3 tablespoons
2
Tear the tissue paper into varying
sizes, no precision necessary. Just
rip away! Have fun making a bit of a
3
Choose a jar and apply tissue
colors as you wish. Each layer adds a
paper to the outside, piece by
new dimension in color. I encourage
piece, by spreading a thin layer of your
you to cover all of the glass on the
outside of the jar.
will do to start). Add 1 to 2 tablespoons
mess with your paper pieces, and then
diluted glue on each piece. The paper
of water to the glue, and stir. This simply
set them aside.
will absorb the glue. Hands will be sticky,
dilutes the glue, making it easy to apply
but it all washes off quickly and easily in
with your paintbrush.
the end. Layer as many pieces and
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4
When you are done applying
the papers, set the jar aside to
dry fully (approximately 1 to 2 hours).
5
When your lantern is fully dry, trim
VA R I AT I O N
any excess paper from the rim of
Instead of tissue paper, you can
the jar. Insert a candle into your jar, and
substitute fabric pieces and apply
light it. Now the magic happens. The
them the same way to your lantern.
candlelight illuminates the paper you
The patterns of the fabric will add
applied, creating a beautiful stained
texture to the filtered light.
glass effect. Display the lanterns in your
home for a beautiful glow.
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