Those Patio Lanterns

As a crafter there’s nothing more satisfying than creating something beautiful from next to nothing. It’s even better when the project is dead simple and takes mere minutes to make. Paper patio lanterns are just such a craft.

A perfect addition to any patio, these lanterns come together with only a few materials—glass jars salvaged from the recycling bin, scrapbooking paper and vellum, a couple of embellishments, such as ribbon and faux butterflies, plus a good, old-fashioned glue stick.

With the array of beautiful papers available to choose from, the only difficult part of this craft is picking out a design. Keep in mind where the lanterns will be displayed. Perhaps you want soft, summery shades to match your patio furniture, or maybe bright, dazzling bursts of colour to add a touch of whimsy.

Creating basic lantern wraps
In a nutshell, you’re making paper shades to slip onto glass jars. Before you do this, wash and thoroughly dry a few assorted glass jars. Choose different sizes to add variety and keep in mind that groupings of three usually look best. Lay a piece of vellum (this is translucent paper that will allow the candle glow to shine through, but hide the jar) onto a flat surface. Now, lay one jar on the paper, lining up the base of the jar with the bottom left corner of the paper. Roll the paper around the jar to make sure it will go all the way around and overlap by an inch. Unroll. About an inch above the mouth of the jar, make a small pencil mark. Set the jar aside. Use a ruler to draw a horizontal line at the pencil mark and cut away the paper above the line. Trim the paper for width as needed, leaving a one-inch overlap. Repeat this with each jar.

Now that you’ve cut your vellum for each jar, you can make a simple shade, or check out the detailed instructions below to create the pleated shade shown in the photo above. For your simple shade, use a glue stick to spread glue down one seam of the paper. Roll and adhere, making a tube. Hold the tube together with paper clips until the glue is dry. Now slip the shade over the glass jar and voilà!

Adding a pleated shade
Cover your jar with a vellum shade as described above. Use your chosen patterned scrapbook paper to make a second shade. To do this, set the jar onto the sheet of scrapbook paper. Line up the bottom left corner with the base of the jar. Make a pencil mark about two inches above the mouth of the jar. With a ruler and pencil, draw a straight horizontal line from the mark and cut away the paper above this line. Trim the paper for width, making sure the paper wraps around the jar and overlaps by more than an inch. Because this shade will slip over the vellum shade, it must be slightly bigger.

Fold the patterned paper in half, good side out. Rub along the fold to make a sharp crease. Still folded, make vertical cuts every inch along the paper. Leave a one-inch or greater border along the top and bottom.

Glue the seams to make a tube. Hold the tube in place with paper clips until the glue is dry. When it is, gently push the top and bottom together to enhance the shape. If you like, decorate the top and bottom of this lantern with ribbon (be sure to line up the seams). Cut the ribbon to length and glue it in place with a glue stick. Slip the shade onto the jar, over the simple shade.

Whatever your design, when the lanterns are complete, group a few together on your patio. With the scene set, invite some friends over for dessert by candlelight, or enjoy a moment of tranquility and the soft soothing glow of candles flickering in the night.
(As taken from the e-newsletter: Canadian Home & Country Newsletter).

CAROL'S TIME & AGAIN TREASURES

If you think this ironing board message center is a neat idea check out Carol's blog: www.carolstat.blogspot.com Or visit her website:
www.carolstimeagaintreasures.ca.

MESSAGE CENTER

I had bought some lovely old windows from Carol's Time and Again Treasures in Rivers. My intention was to paint on them. But I ended up selling all of them but one. These old windows are great for decorating but it is doubly nice if you can give them a new purpose.
I decided to give this one a few coats of chalkboard paint and turn it into a message center.




Make sure the glass is clean. I taped off the edges of each pane so as not to have to worry about getting paint on the frame. I gave each pane 3 coats of chalkboard paint. Before using I left them a couple of weeks to make sure that the paint had cured. Be very careful pulling off the tape as it does tend to want to pull the paint off with it.
The directions on the paint can, tell you to take a piece of chalk and using it sideways rub all over the painted area. This conditions the paint so that when you write on it the writing doesn't stay visable after you wipe it off.
Hang this up by the back door or your kitchen desk area and you can leave messages to yourself and your family.

GREAT NEW ARTWORK

If you are anything like me, whenever I go into Fabric Land I always see beautiful fabric and then my mind starts to work overtime for a reason to buy it. Here is a great way to add color and interest to your walls without breaking the bank. Sometimes it is next to impossible to find a great piece of art that works well in your space. Try this project for a short term fix or if it works, for long term.





Find some lovely fabric that works for your space.
Buy a large art canvas. For this project I used a large piece of foam board.
Buy enough fabric to overlap the board 5 or 6 inches all around.
Stretch the fabric and staple one end. Stretch again and staple the opposite end.
Working from the back fold the corners as you would a present so that the corners are not bulky and staple in place.
Stretch and pull the fabric to the other side and staple.
You want the fabric to nice and tight with no puckers or gathers.
This project can be done for less than $50 depending on the size of canvas you use.
This is a great opportunity to get a really large piece of art for your walls.

MY NEW OFFICE

My old office was a mess. Oh, I knew where everything was, but it wasn't pretty as you can see from the before shots. I had two computer desks and no storage.




I just love my new office and I am taking great pains to keep it tidy. Instead of two desks, I now have a wrap around counter on top of two cupboards. The angled corners give me working area for paying bills or writing. Something I did not have before. The two towers give me plenty of storage for the things I want at my fingertips and the cupboards lets me hide those things I don't need to see every day. Now I have two wall sconces for lighting which was something else I was sorely lacking in the old office space.
This little room was not much good for anything so it makes a great little nook for my office. Plus, the view to the front yard (as I am on the second floor) is great for stopping to think.
The great guys at Contractor's Corner, 701 -4th St. helped out with this project. You can reach them at 727-3799.

MEMORY BOARD MIRROR

Use a framed mirror as a memory board by crisscrossing strips of ribbon that hold Easter greetings and/or pictures. Use double-stick tape to attach ribbons to the front of the mirror in a diamond shape, pulling them just tight enough to hold cards securely. Tape contrasting ribbon around the mirror's edges. Experiment with different designs. Use colors that accent your decor.

SLIP-COVER AN OTTOMAN

Remember to double-click on the pictures to make them larger. To get back to this page, use your back arrow.

I covered this storage ottoman myself using some wonderful fabric that I was able to buy for $5.00 a meter during Fabric Land’s January sales. Even the trim was a steal.

You start by laying the fabric over the ottoman, letting it drape down on all four sides, making sure there is amble fabric to cover the sides and to hem. Then I generously trimmed the sides, making sure that there would be enough for hemming under.
Fold each corner so that you form an inverted pleat. Make sure the inside of the fabric is lining nice and flat inside. Tack each corner so that when you remove the fabric for hemming it stays where you want it. Pin the sides inside as well. I also machine tacked the bottom of the pleat. I pinned it in place and sewed the bottom 4 inches holding the pleat firmly in place. Make sure this stitching is not above where your trim will be sewed on, as you want the pleats to look soft and not sewed down.
Machine hem the fabric but make sure you fold it over twice to avoid fraying.
Start sewing the trim on at one corner and work all the away around. Start your first seam at the bottom of the top strip on the trim, and then sew again at the top of the trim, this way it is firmly attached. This also assures that the corners stay where they are suppose to.

I wanted mine to just graze the floor so it looks like a slipcover and not too perfect.
This took about a meter of fabric. However, this fabric was extra wide as it is upholstery fabric. The trim was a little more than a meter (I had to guess when I bought it, so make sure you measure).This was a super easy project and now my ottoman isn’t out of place with the rest of my home