Let's make some paper box lanterns.

This episode of my blog is about making my lanterns. They are just little light boxes made from book board, book cloth, wooden knobs, a light and some wonderful out of date images that I collect from old resources and from the many copy right free books and cds available today.

First things first. Decide how large one wants the box and then cut out the boards. (The bottom board will need a hole cut out so you can push the light up.) After the boards are cut, you have to determine how large the frame opening will be and make each board into a frame. Once that has been completed, time to glue up the sides to bottom. I always do this on a scrap piece of paper and I do not worry if the boards and paper get glued up. I will tear off that paper later prior to adding the book cloth, but to begin with it adds a bit of stability.

After the glue has set, it is time to cover the boxes with cloth making them ready for the image.

Be careful as you apply glue to your cloth- do not get any glue on the front sides or it will live there forever. Take your time-and remember when glueing, don't let the glue be too watery or too thick. The little bear said this one is just right. Wrap the box with the cloth folding in the bottom and tops and don't worry about your windows just now. That cloth is still damp with glue and will be very hard to cut into. Sit the boxes to one side and do a little chatting on your face book page while you wait.

That was fun. Now back to our boxes. If the glue is dry, it is now the time to prepare the openings for your images. Take your knife and make sure you make a cut in each corner of the cloth up to the points where the squares meet. Then cut out the extra cloth in the middle, apply glue to the board not the cloth and turn in. Once again be very careful not to get glue on any cloth that is seen by the eye. Glue makes ugly marks on your cloth and well you might get some of it off, but when it drys it will come back. Like a bad penny I have heard.

Well, that is enough of a project for today. Below, are some of my boxes that I covered yesterday and today I will place the images in. Tomorrow my blog will be about what ones does with an image to get it right for the box. Hope you join me then, but until then-

See you around town,

Janet