Make a Rainbow Bright Paper Lantern

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rainbow-paper-lantern-3

rainbow-paper-lantern-3

I just love decorating paper lanterns. You may remember my dotted tissue paper lantern and my letter lighting project! I think they are an easy way to add major impact Maybe this lantern leads to a pot o’ gold since it is St. Paddy’s day and all )totally unplanned btw).

The cool thing is that you can make this for under $5 bucks in under an hour! Here’s how!

rainbow lantern 2

Rainbow Bright Paper Lantern

Materials:
– Large paper lantern (20″) – get it on Amazon here
– Paper lantern light kit
– Tissue paper squares in rainbow of colors (I got mine on Amazon it’s the only place I’ve seen them)
– Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue®

Instructions

OK, I’m not going to list them out, cause this is one of the simplest crafts you can make…

First you take these tissue paper squares… Note, it’s a lot easier to use these squares than cut up your own – believe me.

Tissue squares

…you glue them in color order to the lantern starting at top. Slightly overlap them as you glue going down the lantern.

photo.JPG

Glue any remaining pieces in place and fill in any gaps.

And there you have it!

rainbow lantern

It’s the perfect accent for brightening up any room that needs a splash of color.

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa

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Quick and Easy Double Rainbow Shirt

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finished double rainbow shirt

I did a video yesterday with William, Pattie, and Scott based on the Double Rainbow video that’s been all over the net. Anyway, I wanted to share the magic of creation with you guys on a tutorial here on the blog as well. Haha. Here’s the video for you to view in all its glory…

Admittedly, the shirt in the video didn’t turn out the way I had wanted (I had to nail it on one shirt in one take, Wah Wahhhhhhh). I like the top rainbow, but the bottom rainbow got a little too squished. Below, I redid the shirt on a slightly smaller shirt (a cute baby t-shirt I will prob. give William’s niece Sophie), but the technique remains the same. So many of my DIY projects are trial and error. It’s a fun project even if it is a little messy and outside the lines a little…the fun is really in the experience and the creativity! It doesn’t get more creative than Double Rainbows!!!

And now onto the step by step photo tutorial…

inserting wax paper

1. Insert a sheet of wax or freezer paper inside the shirt. For the freezer paper, you may want to iron it into place so it doesn’t shift around during your project.

fold in half first

2. Fold shirt in half to make a crease and mark. Press firmly to make the crease. This crease will come in handy in a bit.

scribbles lined up

3. Line up your colors of fabric paint in ROYGBIV order. I used Scribbles 3D Paint for this project and tapped them a few times on the table to remove any air bubbles. I’ve always loved Scribbles since I was a kid!

paint half a rainbow

4. Now start painting your rainbows. I created half rainbow arches until they met the crease and I painted clouds on the side in black. For best results, make sure you don’t leave a big bead of paint at the center point. Try to keep your hand steady with an even flow of paint for the entire painting process as you use the different the paints.

press lightly

5. Now fold your shirt in half at the crease. Very lightly press in place. Don’t press on top of crease too much (this is what happened to my shirt in the video, it splooged in the center rainbow in the video). Pat gently all areas.

open up

6. Now here comes the fun/scary part…open up your design to reveal your pressed rainbow.

fixing mistakes

7. Do any necessary touch ups or corrections you want to do. Now wear and rock those rainbows out!

And because I just can’t resist, the Double Rainbow Song that has been stuck in my head for days!

Until next time Swellions!

Alexa