Paper lantern

As posted and can be found in the 2009 issue of The Daily Scrapper.

For this project, you will need:

paper (here I printed off some red digital paper by Amanda Heimann),
transparency film,
a paper cutter,
adhesive,
brads,
a razor knife and wire.
A paper piercer or small hole punch will help out for the brads- you really only need one or the other for this project.



Let’s get started.

First, let’s mark off an inch or two at both the top and bottom of the paper. It doesn’t need to be exact. This will become our guide for the cuts we will make in the next step. Make sure your markings are on the backside of your paper.



Next, slice your paper from the top guideline to the bottom guideline in even strips. You can make them thin or thick strips for the desired look. I used my paper cutter to slice and a razor knife to make sure the cuts were uniform after. When this step’s done you should have a flat piece of paper slit from one side to another.

This is the easiest step. Use adhesive to glue the top and bottom bands together full circle. This will leave you with a tall cylinder shaped skeleton of our lantern.

Here’s where the transparency comes in. Cut two piece of transparency a few inches shorter than the paper you are using. So if I used 11 inch paper I should cut my two strips at about 9 inches. Then punch holes in both ends. You will do the same with the lantern.

Now, use the brads to attach to transparency inside the lantern both top and bottom. This will give the lantern the round look and help it to hold that shape. Adjust the length of the strips to achieve the desired look of your lantern.

Last, twist some wire around the backside of the brads (inside the lantern) and it will be ready to hang. These are really fun and festive.

I hope you give this project a try.