Christmas lanterns

 I've done it again.......been making lanterns.  I LOVE them......and it seems that when ever I make them, other people seem to love them too.  These were not a planned, exactly.  It all started when I was asked to help with the ward Christmas party.
"Lori, would you mind helping with the Christmas party, and maybe the decor?"
"Sure, I would LOVE to do that."...... and I do love it.  I love to be creative, it's so much better then any stinky chore.  So while we were in a meeting, someone said, "Lori makes these cool lanterns."  Blushing, I said, "Yeah, they are pretty cool".  The wheels started turning, then BING!!!!  the idea for the Christmas lantern was born.

I started by creating a cut file in illustrator, then converted it to an SVG file.  The nice thing about these lanterns was that I was able to use the same art work from the invitations.  That included a nativity scene, the Wise Men and the shepherds.  It helped tie it all together.  I cut the lanterns out on the cricut using the SCAL software.  The base is cut from cheap poster board from the Dollar Tree, (one of my favorite things to make stuff with).  The poster board only cost 50 cent sheet and you can get 2 lanterns out of one sheet.  Once they were all cut, I scored them, and spray painted them with a black textured spray paint the had copper specks in it.  It looked awesome!  One thing about spray painting them, it helps make the poster board a little more sturdy.

The next step is to add the windows.  I like to use the heavy frosted report covers that I get from Alphagraphics.  Because they are also heavy, they help make this paper lantern a bit more sturdy.   From there, it was simply glue and fold.  I added a small finial to the top of the lantern, but it is hard to see in the pics.  It gave it a nice finished look.  I tied a cute ribbon and added the tea light  in the bottom, and there you have it.  Many people commented that they thought they looked like metal lanterns.  There were beautiful centerpieces and people really seemed to like them.  I would love to know what you all think.