I wanted to share our Tissue Paper Lanterns today in case you missed this last week on Adventures-in-Mommy-Land! I love the colors and the warm light they give off. It seems so nice on cold winter days. And if you are like me you have a bunch of tissue paper from previous gifts you can use up!
Make sure you have a kitten around while cutting up the tissue paper; it certainly adds to the fun!
Once dry Repeat the process to add a second coat of tissue paper. Again cover the entire tissue paper surface with a. Thin coat of glue and allow to dry. This was a little frustrating for my girls because they had a hard time getting the tissue paper to stick. They were actually using too much glue! So be careful to use just enough to stick it down and then cover the whole thing with glue once the tissu paper in in place.
Once completely dry (we left ours overnight), gently separate the balloon and the tissue paper. You don't have to separate all of it, but I would do at least all around the edge.
To start with you need a balloon the size you want your final lantern to end up. The ones we used were about 6 inches in diameter.
You also need small pieces of tissue paper (here is a great way to organize all the tissue paper too), Elmer's glue, a paint brush, and battery operated tea lights. Pour a small amount of glue in a bowl and add an equal amount of water. Mix thoroughly. This makes something very similar to Mod Podge.
You also need small pieces of tissue paper (here is a great way to organize all the tissue paper too), Elmer's glue, a paint brush, and battery operated tea lights. Pour a small amount of glue in a bowl and add an equal amount of water. Mix thoroughly. This makes something very similar to Mod Podge.
Make sure you have a kitten around while cutting up the tissue paper; it certainly adds to the fun!
Using your paintbrush and working in small sections, apply a small amount of glue to the balloon and cover with tissue paper.
Continue until the balloon (or at least the portion you want to use for the lantern) is covered with tissue paper. You will want to make sure you overlap the tissue paper as you work, so it he balloon is covered well.
After all the tissue paper is on, apply a thin coat of glue over all of it to smooth it out.
Allow to dry. I did this by placing the uncovered part of the balloon on a cup and letting it set a few hours. After I had finished my trial one I let the girls start on theirs. Once we get messy things out, it gets hard for me to take any pictures!
Once dry Repeat the process to add a second coat of tissue paper. Again cover the entire tissue paper surface with a. Thin coat of glue and allow to dry. This was a little frustrating for my girls because they had a hard time getting the tissue paper to stick. They were actually using too much glue! So be careful to use just enough to stick it down and then cover the whole thing with glue once the tissu paper in in place.
Then pop your balloon! Most likely the whole lantern will sink in on itself. Just gently separate the balloon and fluff the lantern a bit. It should return to its shape fairly easily.
Stick a little flame less tea light under your lantern for some lovely decor without the fire hazard of candles. The tea lights I had bought ended up being yellow (I guess to look like a flame). I did have one that changed colors, and when it was white it looked best because you could see the tissue paper colors. So if you can I would recommend finding white tea lights. I would guess the floral department would have them rather then the candle department because they are the submersible type.
If you don't want to mess with the whole balloon popping thing just use a cheapie glass fishbowl or vase and apply tissue paper the same way. This is a great way to bring a little color and atmosphere to any event! One of the best things about it is the ability to match whatever decor you need at the time!
