Tutorial- Paper Lantern

This project is very fun and easy to make, it can be done with kids because the main component is drawing.

Materials:
-Paper, I used a thick tracing paper from my local craft store.
-Drawing implements, pens, markers, crayons, pencils
-Four wooden kebab skewers
-Four Beads
-Ruler
-Scissors
-Hot glue gun

So today the weather was really nice so I toke this project outside, here's all the stuff I'm using to draw my pattern on to the lantern.  I wanted to do some mandala's but I don't know how to do them so I printed some from the internet.  

So I toke my paper and measured out 5 inches because I wanted my lantern to be that high, I marked it with a pencil and cut it out, you make your lantern what ever size you would like.  

So just start drawing, do whatever you want along the paper.  

  

Here's about halfway through 

This is mine ones I was all done, I think it's nice from a distance but up close you can sorta see where I messed up.  From this part be careful not to smudge, especially if you're left handed.      

Now it's time to turn this pretty drawing of yours into a lantern... 

 Plug in your glue gun, so that it can heat up while we work on the next step.

Flip your piece so that your drawing and fold it in half, then unfold it and fold into quarters. 

Take your skewer and measure two inches more then the height of your paper, (one inch for each side of it), and cut there.  I try to score the wood and then snap it, it works for me, but use the system that works for you.

Hopefully by now your hot glue gun is ready, now put some glue into the center of your bead, and then take your skewer and place it in the glue, wiping away excess. Be careful with this, because it's hot.  If you're doing this project with kids, you should do this step.

It will look something like this

Now with your glue gun, you'll place glue on the skewers on the sections that will be in contact with the paper, so leaving the top and bottom inch clear.  Then place into the fold of your lantern.

For the last side glue it as close to the edge as you can than sorta fold the paper on to it, then put glue over this and take the other side and place it over.

 Stand it up and you'll have a nice lantern.

Here's mine:

 

Please keep an eye on your lantern when using it, because you know that paper and fire don't always get along. I use a battery powered tea light, so that is not as much of a problem.

 


Here's a taller one I make last year.

Leave an questions in the comments and I hope you have fun.

Zoe