DIY Aluminum Lanterns + Vases
I originally came up with this idea as a good way to practice before I made a pendant lamp for our home, using the cloverleaf pattern below, and I just had to share them with you. Inspired by Moroccan lanterns, I used perforated metal sheets often used on radiator covers to create little lanterns and vases. You can also thread wire or ribbon on them to mark table numbers. They look as cute in daylight as they look when lit!
– perforated metal sheets or upcycle them from used radiator covers (found in places like here)
– tin snips + fine sand paper for metal
– 20 or 22 gauge wire
– flat pliers
– spray paint
Create templates on a piece of paper to play with the proportions before you begin cutting the metal sheet. Once you have all the templates you’d like to use, outline them with a pencil on the metal sheet. Slowly cut your rectangles away. To create the round cylinders, I used the help of the spray can I used to paint them. Wrap the metal sheet cutouts around the can (or a bottle or jar) and roll them a few times. It doesn’t matter if the size of your lanterns are not same as your can-roller, this is just to help you get a round shape. Once you tie the ends you won’t notice any bends that you would have seen if you had tried by hand.
Thread both ends of your cylinder using 20 or 22 gauge wire and twist tight using pliers. Cut excess wire. Before spray painting, you can insert newspaper in the lantern to avoid spray paint from going through. This gives a two-tone coloring and it conceals the wire closure. To use them as vases, you can simply add kitchen-size glasses before adding flowers. See many more of the step-by-step images below!
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Category: DIY Projects
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