Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Card Making & Scrapbooking Contributor, Peg Rounds from Peg’s Crafting Corner.

One of my favorite times of year is the fall and I really enjoy decorating for Halloween.  For several years now, I’ve created these luminaries to use around the house as decorations and this year decided to share them with all of you so you can create them, too.  I use the battery operated tea lights to keep them safe and do not recommend any type of candle in them since they are created from paper.  Recently, I found these LED lights at Create for Less which I thought would be really cool to put in here.

Begin by cutting a piece of patterned paper (Authentique’s Enchanted Haunted used here from the Authentique Enchanted Collection Kit) to measure 11” long x 5 ½” tall with a paper trimmer (Tonic V Blade Trimmer used here).  You can, also, use cardstock to create the base and leave it plain or use an embossing folder and embossing machine to add a pattern.

Next, use a Halloween themed punch (Martha Stewart Winged Graveyard Punch used) and punch the entire edge of one of the long sides of the paper.

Now score the paper at the 2 5/8”, 5 ¼”, 7 7/8” and 10 ½” marks on the scoring board (Martha Stewart Scoring Board used). You will have 4 sections that are 2 5/8” each in size and one section that is ¼” that will be the tab.  The second panel from your right as shown in the picture with the scoring tool on it will end up being the front of the luminary when it’s folded. 

Create the frame for around the window of the luminary by laying 2 consecutive sizes of dies on your die cutting machine plates and placing a piece of black cardstock on top of them.  Here I used the Spellbinders Labels Four in the Xyron Creatopia with Die Press Shapez attachment.  The sandwich for this stack is:  the rubber mat, the large white plate, the clear plate, the dies, the paper, the purple plate.  Run the sandwich through the machine to create the frame for the window.

For the window in the luminary, use the smaller of the dies that you used to create the frame and lay it in the center of the panel that is the front of the luminary.  I like to use painter’s tape to help keep the die in place.  Flip it over so the die is on the bottom of the paper and using the same stack as you did above (only with the smaller die this time) run it through the machine.

 Your luminary will now look like this.  Attach the frame using a wet adhesive (Tombow Mono Aqua Glue used here).

NOTE:  The lighter weight vellum you use the more the light will show through when the luminary is lit.

Cut a piece of vellum to measure 2 5/8” x 5” and mark with a pencil where the top, bottom and side edges of the window is as shown in the picture.  This will be the guide for where you need to place the stamp.  Stamp the image on the vellum using a black ink pad and an acrylic block.  Here I used the tombstone stamp from the Inkadinkado Mini Borders set to match the Graveyard Punch I had used on the top.   Allow the ink to dry for a few minutes and then center the vellum in the window.  If you need to move the stamped image over a little to get the part of the image you want in the window to line up simply trim off the vellum that will overlap the scored fold of the luminary as I did in the picture below.

Adhere the vellum with a little of the Tombow Mono Aqua Glue to the inside of the luminary base with the ink of the stamped image facing out.  Be sure to place the glue on the vellum so that it does not show in the window opening.

Cut a black strip of cardstock that measures 1 “x 11” to place around the inside on the top to help bring out the punched images.  You can either overlap the end or trim it off even so that the two ends meet in the corner.  Adhere it using the glue so that it is even with the top of the punched pattern.

Now find a spooky place to decorate and enjoy scaring all of your friends.  Create several of them and line a table or countertop.  Change the papers and images to match all of the holidays.  You will enjoy them so much you will want to make more!