HALLOWEEN CRAFTS: Luminaries

Martha Stewart shows us how to make Autumn Luminaries I like the idea of using the leaves. This is a neat inexpensive project that you can do with kids. If you didn't want to use leaves, you could cut out shapes or images and do the same over spray technique with them. I recommend using the electric tealights, as they are safer. Since there is sand at the bottom of these (though you could use gravel too if that is easier/ more cost effective for you), put the electric tea light in a glass votive holder. Bags, votive holders and electric tea lights are available at Dollar Tree.



Martha Stewart shows us how to make glittery spider and web hurricane style candle holders. I mentioned this craft in my Spider Crafts post, but it's appropriate for here too. This project calls for frosted hurricane style candle holders, but if you can't find any frosted ones, you can use etching cream 1st, to frost the glass. Frosting the glass gives it a texture that will help the glue adhere better than a smooth glass surface. Etching cream can be found at most craft stores. It's easy to use, but follow the safety directions carefully, as it is corrosive. You can find inexpensive glass hurricane style candle holder at Dollar Tree. If they don't have any without candles in them, you can use the glass pillar candles, cylinder vases or cube vases too. Any tallish glass container that is wide enough to hold a tea light (electric or wax) or pillar candle is good. Since luminaries go outside of your house, to help light the path for trick or treaters or guests, you want something large enough to provide enough light for the path. You can also use them inside your house as mantel and table decorations.

If you have vases at home that you want to use, but don't want to paint on, you can decorate them with 1 inch strips of ripped white cotton fabric. If you want something sparkley, use sparkle bridal tulle. Wrap them at angles around the glass (think mummy). Use white thread and a needle to tack the cross points of the fabrics still. Don't cover all the glass, you want to leave open areas, so the light can show through. When lit, an eerie glow will be cast on your walls. I made 4 like this a few years ago and still use them. You put your candle in a glass votive holder, then sit it inside of the wrapped vase. This prevents wax from getting on the vase. Use a long lighter or match to light the candles. When you are done using them, just use small scissors to cut the fabric off.

If you don't want them to look mummified, you can use ribbons tacked with hot glue, double sided tape or adhesive dots. The ribbon can be peeled off after you are done using them. You can use crochet thread to make a spider web. Put double sided tape along the top and bottom of the vase (best for the straight cylinder style, tack angled lengths of the crochet thread around the taped edges. After you have created your base spokes, thread a large needle with a long piece of crochet thread. Where the spokes cross, tie one end of the crochet thread to it. Weave the crochet thread under and around one spoke, continue do this in a radiating circle to create the connecting pieces of a web. When you are almost done with your length of crochet thread, tie it off on a spoke. You can this connecting pieces technique on various sections where the angled threads cross. To cover the thread ends at the top and bottom of the vase, put double sided tape on the back of ribbon that is slightly wider than the tape and wrap it over the top and bottom areas. This will nicely cover the work. You will still be able to see it from the inside, but it will still look nice. You can sew on a spider charm where ever you would like on your web. If you want to remove it, snip the threads off in a column down one side and peel the tape off.



If you want something a little more durable, try these Tin Can Luminarias from Better Homes and Gardens. My mom prefers these because they are heat resistant and release some tension...the hammering part. When making a design, make sure you choose one that will be easy to tell what it is after it's hammered out in dots. You might want to draw out a shape and them play with where you want your dots. If you don't want to draw your dots on before freezing the water in the cans, then draw out your dot pattern on wax paper, attach it at the top of your frozen ice tin can with paper clips, and start punching out the dots with the hammer and nail. Even though it's heat resistant, I still recommend using electric tea lights instead of the wax version. It's generally safer, especially if you hang them from a tree like pictured below.

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