April Blog Hop!

Hi everyone! Welcome to another edition of PTI's Blog Hop! When I saw Nichole's challenge for April, the part that stuck with me was the theme of the small squares. I wanted to make sure that my project maintained this concept. I thought about what I wanted to do, and then the other day, sitting at my desk at work I spied this:

It is my pencil cup, which was originally a mosaic glass votive candle holder... so using that inspiration, here's what I came up with:

It is a lantern!

Here is closer shot (bear with me, I have a few different photos to share with you to give you the full effect!)

I started with a clear paint can (this one was purchased at Staples). I then cut a piece of vellum to line the inside of the paint can. This was going to be my base for the mosaic. I used a 3/4-inch square punch to punch out my tiles from the Father's Knows Best patterned paper sheet provided by Nichole. Since the squares on the paper were 1-1/2 inch square, I could get 4 squares out of each!

Next, I adhered the patterned paper squares to the vellum, keeping the pattern random. After all the squares had been adhered, I just slipped the vellum inside the paint can! It was a perfect liner, and was so easy.

Then I was ready to begin working on the outside of the paint can. I used white StazOn to stamp the fancy square from Simple Little Things, (the Anniversary Set) randomly on the outside of the can. I was hoping it would create a shadow effect once the lantern was lit. I added a strip of brown twill ribbon to the bottom rim of the can, and pearlescent Dew Drops around the top rim. The final touch was to tie different colored ribbons to the handle and I was ready to light it up!

While I did use a candle for my photographs, I would recommend using one of the battery-operated votive candles if you should make something like this.

Here's a view with the lights out:

It turned out just as I had imagined! The stamped images on the outside create a pretty patterned shadow when the lantern is lit. Here's a close up:

Well, what do you think? Wouldn't this be a great addition to a deck or patio? Even a non-hanging version (with a battery-operated votive) would make a beautiful centerpiece for an evening party or wedding!

Thank you for stopping by - I am really looking forward to reading all your comments. And don't forget to head back to Papertrey Ink's Forum to vote for your favorite, most inspiring project! Please keep me in mind! I can't wait to see what all the other participants have come up with!

Thanks again for stopping by and participating in the Blog Hop!

Project Supplies:

Stamps: Simple Little Things (PTI)
Paper: Vellum, April Blog Hop Father Knows Best patterned paper sheet
Ink: StazOn white
Accessories: Acrylic paint can, Lemon Tart and Summer Sunrise Topnotch Twill (PTI), Chocolate Chip twill (SU), yellow ric-rac (American Crafts), Pearlescent Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest)