Halloween Lanterns
Instead of Jack\’O Lanterns, add in these paper bag lanterns for a twist on your Halloween decorations.
- On a thin piece of coloured cardboard, draw your favourite Halloween character. It may be a white ghost, a Jack\’O Lantern, or even a witch\’s hat. Alternatively, you can also look for these shapes in magazines. You will need quite a few, depending on how many lanterns you intend to make. Also, your picture should cover most of the paper bag\’s surface on one side. Cut them all out and leave them aside.
- Next, take out your old paper bags and arrange them according to size.
- You can use the bigger paper bags for free-standing lanterns and hang up the smaller ones.
- Stick the picture cut outs onto one side of the paper bag. Leave it to dry. You may want to either use double sided tape or even staple them onto the bag as most types of glue will melt under heat and your picture may drop off halfway through the night.
- Once you are done, fill all your small paper bags with small pebbles (not stones) up to a quarter full. Give them a few good thuds on a flat surface to level the pebbles up. Place a tea candle right in the middle of the layer of pebbles. Punch two holes on either sides of the paper bag (do not punch too near the edge or your paper bag might tear easily from the weight of the pebbles). Thread a long piece of string through all the holes and tie the string up. You can vary the length of the string for all the paper bags to give them a difference in height. When you are ready to hang them up, light the tea candle inside with a lit candle, and hang the paper bag by its make-shift handles onto your porch or balcony.
- For the bigger paper bags, fill them up to a third full. You may also want to place the paper bags in its intended place before filling them up to avoid them from giving way once you are done. Also, you might need to put in more than one tea candle for the lantern to be bright enough for the picture\’s silhouette to show. Light them as you would with the smaller lanterns.
- Because paper bags catch on fire easily, do not place them in places where you will not be able to see them. Also, do not leave them near other things that might catch fire such as curtains, and old leaves. You should also remember to put them out when the night is over to avoid unwanted accidents.
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joanna8555/3981953526/
