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Summer's warm glow

There is something special about gathering with close friends around an outdoor table on a warm summer evening

If you have a minute to assemble a few outdoor lanterns for your table you will appreciate the nice, warm glow later during the night. These lanterns take only minutes to make and are beautiful placed around small tea lights in glass votives.

Materials: 2 or 3 small, glass votives Tea lights Parchment paper Scotch tape Glass beads (optional) Glue gun (optional)

To begin, determine the amount of parchment paper you will require to wrap around the outside of the glass votive.

You will need to figure out the height as well as the width of each votive. It is nice to have varying heights for the different glass holders.

Cut the paper with your scissors and place a small piece of scotch tape where the two cut ends meet. Make sure to leave space near the top of the lantern for the heat from the flame to escape.

At this point you can leave the lantern plain or you may want to decorate it a little by gluing glass beads to the bottom or alternatively by punching a few holes in the top of the paper. Michaels Crafts carries a wonderful line of specialty hole punches. Look for the most decorative ones in the Martha Stewart aisle in each store.

The nice thing about these little lanterns is that the parchment paper keeps the evening breeze from blowing out the candles. Be sure to keep a close eye on the open flame throughout the evening.

Look for pretty, miniature glass lanterns to illuminate your summer table as well.

There are many lovely choices in stores at the moment.

Choose from assorted colours or perhaps all one colour family for a more modern, streamlined table.

lunter@shaw.ca