Witch Lantern Tutorial

Here it is...my Witch Lantern Tutorial! I didn't come up with the idea; a while back I saw some Fairy Lanterns made like this out of old oil lanterns, and I loved the idea so much, and I happened to have a huge collection to play with, so there you are :D

First of all, gather your supplies. You're going to need:

an old oil or kerosene lamp, nice and clean
some "nesting" material, such as excelsior or moss or shredded up paper
an image; use a photograph of your child or grandchild or a vintage image
black paper for your witch's hat
fabric or tissue paper for your witch's cape
odds and ends that a witch might like, to scatter in the lantern, such as a button, a penny, a feather
glue and glitter and sequins
ribbon
flower
paint to paint the lantern if you like

Remove the glass chimney by lifting up the lantern lid on top and tipping over the glass chimney. Push the wires down(if it has wires) and slide it out, clean it with some glass cleaner. Paint your clean lantern now if you wish. Use a small paintbrush or your finger and spread around some glue on the back half of the chimney and sprinkle on some glitter. Set it aside and let it dry.


Cut a small oval out of black paper and then cut a curved slit in it, and cut a triangle, for the witch's hat.




Print out your image-I use the 4x6 size-and cut out a small strip of sturdy cardboard to glue in back to hold up your image in the "nest".




I'm going to sit my little witch on a mushroom, so I printed out 2 mushrooms. One will be the background, and I'll cut the cap off of the 2nd one and use a small piece of foam tape to make it appear a little more lifelike. Add some glue and glitter as you like.







Wad up a small bunch of nesting material, and place it on your lamp. Use a little glue to keep it in place.


Cut a small piece of fabric or black tissue paper, or whatever you decided to use, for the cape. A nice little square or rectangle should be just right. Gather up a little on one side and glue it down around the neck of your image. Cute!



Glue the little strip of cardboard to the back of your witch to help it stand up sturdily. Add some glue to the bottom of the cardboard to stand it up in the "nest". Push it down in there til it hits the bottom so it has something to stand up on! lol Check and double check on your height and make adjustments. Now add your little bits and pieces to scatter around. I always throw in a shiny new penny for luck. Let the glue dry.


Once it's dry, tilt it over and slide the glass chimney over your little scene. Make it fit by trimming or cutting whatever you need to. Now set it upright.


Get your bow ready. Here's how I do a quick and easy fluffy bow.


Isn't that adorable?? Add some silk or dried flowers if you wish. Throw in some sequins...stars are pretty!