Wine Glass Lanterns...

These are really simple tabletop decorations, the inspiration for which I can date back to my recent trip back to New Zealand.  I saw some similar ones made out of light plastic, printed with Kiwiana motifs in a gift store.  I took the idea and changed the shape and made them easy to make out of common, inexpensive materials.

These would be amazing for a special occasion - whether that be an intimate dinner party or a wedding.  They add a beautiful gentle glow and just a little bit of magic to your table or wherever you choose to put them.

To make them you will need:

* A dinner plate with a diameter of no more than 29cm (11")
* A small round bowl or container with a diameter of around 10-12cm (4 - 4.5")
* 2 pieces of A4 copy paper
* Sticky tape
* Pencil & eraser
* Ruler
* A large cereal box
* A4 sheet of tracing paper (patterned or plain)
* Narrow double sided tape
* A wine glass
* A tea light

First, make your re-usable template.  Stick your two pieces of A4 paper together along their longest sides, with no overlap.

Lay the plate on top and draw around with your pencil.

Fold in half exactly, making sure that the two halves of the circle are sitting on top of one another (holding it up to a window will help you to see if the two lines are sitting exactly right).

Now cut along this halfway crease.

Fold in half again as shown, to mark the centre.  Draw a line up the centre crease.

Stick it down to your cardboard or cereal box with a glue stick...

... and cut it out.

On some of your leftover A4 paper, draw around your cup or small bowl.

Do exactly to this as you did the larger circle, folding it in half, cutting it out and then in half again, marking the centre line.

Place the smaller circle on the larger circle as shown, lining up the two centre lines.

Draw around the smaller circle and cut it out.

This is your re-usable template all finished!

Now place your template on your tracing paper and draw around it.

Cut it out carefully.  Add a strip of double-sided tape as shown.

If you want to add decorations, like cut-out shapes, pressed flowers etc, to the inside of the lantern, now is the time to do it.  Also, it's a good time to gently erase any visible pencil lines.

Peel the backing off the tape and secure to the other edge making your cone shape.

 

Get out your wine glass and place on top to see how it looks.

To light and position your tea light, carefully lower the lit tea light into the glass by tipping the glass onto it's side, then bring it slowly back up to a standing position.*

And here are a couple of variations showing different ways to decorate the lanterns for different occasions.

For this one I decorated the inside of the lantern with starburst patterns I cut using a craft punch.  I glued the starbursts on to the paper before I cut out the lantern. 

Probably the easiest variation is to make the lantern from one of the many beautiful translucent papers on the market.  This is a Cristina Re paper "Petite Pois White".

* I should add a disclaimer that these lanterns should always be used with supervision as with any candle and should be kept away from children.  Experience tells me stemware, naked flames and kind-folk don't mix!