This little light

Welcome to Terrorific Tuesday 2009!!!
Week 2

Have you seen this pumpkin?
Be on the lookout for cuteness!

If you google Jack-o-lanterns, you will find so much information that it will make your eyes pop. Everything from carving patterns to several stories of its history to a college humor magazine.

The story I've always heard about it's orgins start in the "old country" (not sure which one), where lanterns were created not only from pumpkins, but turnips, and potatoes. Many people believe that the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest around Halloween time. The purpose of the lanterns was to light the way for the beloved spirits to find their way home. The original lanterns didn't have faces carved into them, just a simple hole or design known by the family.

No matter what you believe, Jack-o-lanterns have become an integral part of Halloween. What better (and less messy) way to light up the night for spooks than a candle holder?

I'm still trying to craft with items I have on-hand (or with very little spending!) I learned quite a bit from this project.


Materials

• white tissue paper (if you don't feel up to a challenge, get at least 1 sheet each of orange green, and black) - $1
  
• If you use pre-colored tissue paper - skip these: orange, yellow, green, and black pigment or permanent stamp pads (or permanent markers). Do NOT use dye based stamp pads. You'll see why in a sec.- $4
  
• Newspaper or some other method of protecting your work surface - $1
  
• Decoupage medium (or if you don't have any, mix white glue and water equally to get a milky consistency medium)
• a glass "ivy" bowl - $1
  
• 20 gauge craft wire - $1
• plastic faceted beads - $4 for the big bag
  

I want to make one! How much did it cost you?
If you have none of these items on hand - $12 plus tax
The items marked in green were purchased for this project, and the purple items were on-hand.

*** Safety First!!! ***
and Disclaimer

Because this is a candle holder, I'd like to cover some safety tips.

1. I recommend gluing the paper to the outside of the bowl.
2. I also recommend using tea lights in this project.
   
3. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
4. Make sure the candle has been put out completely before leaving the room.
5. Be sure to keep it on a stable, heat-safe surface.
   
6. Keep the candle away from other flammable objects.
7. Keep the candle away from drafts.
   
8. Keep the candle out of reach of children and pets.
9. Always burn the candle in a well-ventilated room. Well-ventilated. Not drafty.
10. Do not touch a burning candle, play with the flame or melted wax.

I am not responsible for any losses or damage that you may incur while using a candle. If you aren't sure about anything listed in my safety tips, use a battery-operated, flameless candle.

If you would like a printable version of candle safety tips, visit the National Candle Association's Candle Safety Rules page.

*** End Safety Note ***

Let's Craft!!

Step 1

Lay down the newspaper. Place at least 1 sheet of white tissue paper down. Get the yellow stamp pad, and just randomly stamp the paper. Do this gently, especially if this is a brand new stamp pad. We just want to color the paper, not saturate it to the point that it rips.

Once the yellow is dry, do the same thing with the orange - yes, on the same sheet as the yellow. You should end up with a sheet that looks like this:



Do the same with the yellow and green on a new sheet of tissue paper. Because I had older stamp pads, they were nearly dried out. I used my permanent markers to color my sheet.

Step 2

Rip the paper into strips. I ripped my "stem" paper so that the lines would be vertical, to look like a stem once decopauged.

If you don't have any decopauge medium in a jar, prepare some at this point. Just mix white glue with water in equal amounts, to make a milky looking liquid. You won't need as much as you think you will.

Step 3

Gently gently gently start gluing the paper to the bowl. I placed my strips on the outside of the bowl, because I'm not sure how flammable the glue will be once it's dried. Remember how I said to avoid dye based stamp pads? Here is why you should:


The dye started coming off the paper, and leaching onto my brush. It got in the medium, as well. The permanent marker I used for the stem paper didn't do this. Very important to use permanent. Now I'm not really sure how the pigment stamp pad would stand up to the medium. Must test this out later.

Step 4

While it is drying, you can string the green beads onto the wire. Be sure to leave a bit of wiggle room between the beads, because you are going to wrap this around the neck of the vase. Husband said "It looks like the (the beloved soft drink character that breaks through walls saying 'Oh yeah')."

Step 5

He sure does look like that soft drink guy. So I hot-glued some faux-liage and autumnal accents to hide the base. Now he looks less likely to break through my wall.