Sunday, June 21, 2009

Hanging Patio Lantern

Let's make another hanging lantern for the garden,shall we?
For this project,we're gonna need very,very little.
-An old bottle
-One of those kits that turn a bottle into an oil lantern.I got mine many,many moons ago, at Michael's Crafts.I just never found a bottle I wanted to use,until today,when the crafting muse bit me! "Hey!I got an idea.You know what you could do with that bottle?"
-Wire cutter
-Needle nose pliers
-Heavy gauge wire,which I relocated from J's work area.What's he use it for anyways?
Cut a length of wire to fit around the neck of the bottle.Make sure it's long enough so you can twist two loops for the hanger.The piece I used was long enough that I could make decorative thingies on the ends.
Cut another length for the hanger.Just bend it in half,and thread it thru the two loops.
And.........
Voila'



Another lantern for the garden,patio,porch,lanai.
I wouldn't advise hanging this from a tree(I just did this for a photo-op),unless you want a forest fire.And firemen at your house.It's up to you.....

Friday, June 12, 2009

A Patio/Lanai/Porch Light.......

This is a project that costs ab-so-tute-ly nothing at all.And we all know how I like
cheap,
or nothing at all,cost wise!

All you are gonna need is this:

-A hammer
-A wire coat hanger(who doesn't have a bazillion of these cluttering up their closet?)
-A can-any size will do.A coffee can with a lid is best(we'll get to that later),but any kind will do.If you can find a can without ribs(do they even make cans without ribs,anymore?),all the better.
-A nail-a small size,like a finishing nail.Or you could use different sizes to get the effect you want.

-A template-I got mine from clip art,on the Internet,or you could trace around an objectA child's coloring book is a great place to find templates,by the way.
-Spray paint-anything will do.We all have leftover cans of spray paint,loitering around the garage.At least,around this house,we do......
-Water
-Wire cutter

First of all,clean the can.Fill it with water all the way to the top,and freeze.That should take about 24 hours.The time will depend on the size of the can.
Tape the template on the can.Go outside,and start hammering with the nail!If you have the lid,it's best you put it on for this part,as the ice is gonna start to crack.
Don't forget to put two holes,or more depending on the size of the can,for the coat hanger.Those are gonna be for your coat hanger thingy(Don't you just love the word-thingy?Kind of covers everything,doesn't it?)

Looks kind of crappy,here,doesn't it?

But wait!

There's more!

Get out the spray paint(for this I just used RUST-OLEUM Rusty Metal PRIMER.I just like that look,but you can use whatever.....

VOILA'

For this one,I just used 3 different size nails to get the effect of the palm tree.
Notes-----
It really doesn't matter if the cans get dented in the hammering process.You're gonna use them after dark,after all.No one's gonna see the dents.And the paint will hide most of the defects.

We use the citronella oil candle cartridge thingy's(there's that word,again)in the cans.

You can use use any size can for this project.Even pet food cans.Just vary the size of the candle you use.

They really look best,if they are in a grouping,hanging on your patio,or in your garden.Great way to get rid of garbage,isn't it?

If the can comes with a plastic lid,all the better.You can use it to keep the rain out!

How's that for cheap?