Paper Cloud Lantern

Years ago I made a lamp like this with basket reed and rice paper*. Unfortunately there is not a fully stocked art supply store (rice paper) or basketry supply store near me. Ever the craft diva who wants to make this NOW and doesn't want to order the proper stuff and wait for it to arrive, I devised a way to use dowels and tissue paper.

Materials:

10 - 1/8" diameter 3 foot dowels

string

thin wire

masking tape (optional)

white sewing thread (optional)

binder clips (optional)

2 packages white tissue paper

white glue (Elmer's)

Tools:

garden clippers

hot glue gun

1" paint brush

Soak dowels in hot water for a half hour. Dowels don't like to bend so carefully curve them inch by inch. If they start to break, back off and tightly wrap the break with masking tape. Continue to bend. Make a slip knot at the end of a piece of string. Put it on one end of a dowel and gently pull. Wrap the string around the other end of the dowel. Tie off. You should have an arced dowel, looking like the bow in a bow and arrow set. Repeat with the other dowels. Make each one approximately the same profile. Allow the dowels to dry.

Remove the masking tape from any broken dowels and glue the broken ends together. Wrap tightly with white sewing thread then wrap again with a small piece of tissue paper and glue. Use a small clip as a clamp. Allow to set up.

Place two arcs opposite each other and overlap the ends a bit. Wrap the ends with wire 2 or 3 times. Place two more arcs opposite each other but perpendicular to the first pair. Wrap the wire around them. Fill in with the rest of the dowels. Try to space them evenly. Do not remove the strings yet.
Remove any clips. Dilute the white glue until it is the consistency of milk. Paint the edges of the dowels and gently lay sheets of dry tissue paper over the lantern, tapping with a dry brush to adhere the paper to the dowels. Don't cover the ends of the wired dowels with paper just yet and leave an open section for removing light bulbs.
Place the lantern in a large bowl to stabilize it. Gently wet the paper on the lantern with diluted glue and carefully place pieces of tissue paper on top. The wet tissue paper is extremely fragile and may tear. No problem, just patch with a new piece. Keep wetting and piecing until you have covered one half (top or bottom) with 2 layers of paper plus the original dry tissue. Carefully paint on a top layer of glue. Allow to dry or use a heat gun or hair dryer to speed things along if desired.

Turn the lantern over and repeat on the other side.

When the lantern is dry and stable, unwind the wire and remove the strings. Clip off the overlapping ends of the dowels and glue them together with a hot glue gun.
Cover the ends with tissue paper and glue as before. Dry.
Place an electric tea light inside and hang from a tree or use a light kit and hang over your dining room table. A very nice look for under $10.00.

*note - Rice paper is stronger than tissue paper and reeds are far more flexible than dowels.

You can make a long skinny lantern (called a "cigar" lamp) by only bending the dowels slightly.