The napkins were only $1.25 so I bought them, and brought them home with the intention of using them in a craft project of some sort or another.
I dug through my cupboards for something that I might embellish with my new moose napkins. I found a heavy, square glass vase that looked like it might fit the bill.
Thin papers like those used to make napkins are wonderful for decoupage. They become translucent when exposed to the moisture in the decoupage medium, and work wonderfully well on glass objects.
I measured the vase. Each side was five inches square. The napkins were 6-1/2 inches square.
I marked a 5-1/8 inch square on one side of one of the napkins.
When I laid the napkin flat for cutting its folded edges were at the top and at the left hand side.
I cut the square I'd marked, then trimmed 1/8 inch from each of the folded edges, making four individual sheets, each 5 inches square.
Once the squares were trimmed, I turned them over and peeled away the extra plies of paper, leaving only a single thickness. The paper was very thin and rather fragile.
I painted one side of my square vase with decoupage medium (I used equal parts of white glue and water mixed together, but I'm sure Mod Podge would work just fine too)
and then carefully laid one of the trimmed napkin squares over the wet medium.
The paper wrinkled up some and I did my best to smooth it out, but it wanted to tear if I moved it around too much. I decided the wrinkles and creases looked okay, and maybe even added some charm. (Kinda like my face: Those lines give it character, right? ;^)
Once the paper was applied, I painted over it with another layer of decoupage medium.
When the first side was dry, I turned the vase over and applied a matching napkin piece to the other side. I figured that working on opposite sides would allow for adjustment if the pieces I'd cut were too scant.
It turned out the squares I'd cut were fine, but it's better to take the extra precaution I think. I've been known to mess up a measurement or make an incorrect cut from time to time. ;^)
The remaining two squares of napkin had a white moose on them. I used them on this lantern but, if I were to make another one, I'd cut a second napkin and use all black. The white doesn't provide enough contrast to show up very well.
The finished lantern is kind of fun, I think. I'm pleased with it and, since the project was so easy, I thought I'd pass it on to you. You can give it a try with any paper napkin that strikes your fancy, or even just regular tissue paper from the dollar store. I'll bet kids could make this project too.
Have fun with it. :^)
