Thursday, July 06, 2006

 

Outdoor Luminaries by Carol Duvall

Outdoor Luminarias


Though we often think of putting out luminarias at holiday time, there's no rule that says that's the ONLY time. And it certainly isn't necessary to line the entire front walk or driveway. A few at the front door or lining the porch steps can look pretty and say "welcome" any time of the year. I came to this conclusion when my daughter-in-law put four lighted candles at the front door one evening in October when I was invited to dinner. What a nice way to be greeted.

For the luminarias I made today, hardware cloth and tissue paper were my materials of choice, and though the tissue paper seems to be too fragile to use for outdoors, it is well-coated with polymer medium (decoupage medium) so it is well-protected from the elements.

Materials:

1/4- or 1/8-inch grid hardware cloth
tissue paper
matte finish polymer medium, decoupage medium or Mod Podge
scissors and/or wire cutters
needle nose pliers

Note: Though a couple of the luminarias I showed had been rubber stamped and embossed and one had sticky-backed metallic charms attached, any decorating should be kept to a minimum. Patterned tissue should also be used with discretion. The tissue is placed over a gridded wire that shows through when the candles are lit, so too much decorating can easily be too much. You can test this ahead of time to see the effect.

Hardware cloth is available at the hardware store as well as at home remodeling stores. If you use the 1/8-inch grid, be sure to check to see that the wires are straight. This was not meant to be a "beauty" product.


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Outdoor luminaries

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Place these luminaries on the front porch at dusk to greet a dinner guest.

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Figure A


Using the 1/4-inch grid hardware cloth

1. Cut a length of the 1/4-inch hardware cloth as wide as you want the luminaria to be, high enough and long enough to make four equally-sized sides. Ours meaure 12 inches long (three inches on each side of the luminaria) and stands eight inches high. Cut the wire so that it is smooth on both the top and bottom edges with no short ends of wire jutting out (figure A). Though scissors can be used, wire cutters are preferable. On the short ends, cut the cloth so that one end is smooth and the other end has all of the wire "spokes" protruding their full length of 1/4 inch (figure B).
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Figure B

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Figure C

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Figure D


2. Mark the length of the wire at three-inch intervals and fold along these lines. Insert the protruding wires on one end and through the matching openings on the other end (figure C). Bend each wire back using needle nose pliers. Press each wire down so there are no rough edges.

Note: It is easier to get sharp folds by folding the wire back against the edge of a ruler or fold over the edge of a tabletop (figure D).

3. When the wire has been assembled into a box-like shape (figure E), cut a length of tissue about one inch wider than the height of the wire (nine inches) and long enough to go around with just a slight (1/2-inch) overlap.


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Figure E

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Figure F

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Figure G


4. Place paper on a tabletop on a piece of waxed paper or foil and coat several inches of it with the polymer (figure F). Pick up the tissue carefully so as not to tear it and press it against the wire, positioning it so that 1/2 inch extends beyond both the bottom and top edges.

5. Continue to coat the tissue and wrap it around the wire (figure G). When it covers the entire rectangle of wire, fold the top and bottom edges of the paper to the inside of the luminaria. Smooth everything as much as possible. When dry, you may wish to go back and give a second coat of the polymer to the tissue, although this is not essential.

6. Place a votive candle inside the cover and light at dusk.

Tips:

  • If you have difficulty getting the tissue up off of the tabletop and onto the wire without tearing it, try placing it on the wire one side at a time and applying the polymer.
  • When using the 1/8-inch hardware cloth, cut the wire along all four edges as smoothly as possible so no spokes are sticking out. Cut the wire about one inch longer than you need and fold one end in 1/2 inch. Fold the other end out 1/2 inch and join the two ends by fitting one fold inside the other. If using this method, it is easier to make the joining in the middle of a side panel or to make a cylindrical cover rather than a rectangle.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_furnishings_other/article/0,1793,HGTV_3433_1387619,00.html

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