Project: Floral lanterns

Create a sweet spot in a room with decorated lanterns. Paint plain paper lanterns with an arborous design and attach petals cut out from tissue paper, or look for old millinery flowers in shades of pink and coral. For vintage charm and whimsy, hang the lanterns from the ceiling with silk ribbon. If your table already has a hanging light or chandelier above it, try making a garland of old millinery flowers strung together with beads as accent pieces.

Materials
Assorted paper lanterns (we used white globes 6", 8", and 12" in (15.2, 20.3, and 30.5 cm) diameter)
Paintbrush
Acrylic paint in off-white (optional)
Tissue paper in assorted shades of pink
Scissors
Craft glue
Water colour paints in assorted shades of green
Gold sequins or beads

Directions
1 If your lanterns are bright white, start by "antiquing" them by painting on a thin wash of off-white paint.

2 While the lanterns are drying, assemble the paper flowers. To make one flower, cut two large petals and two small petals out of tissue paper. Staple the layers together in the center, with the small petals on top. Using your fingers, curl the edges of the petals to "fluff" them up. We used six flowers for the 6" (15.2 cm) lantern, eight flowers for the 8" (20.3 cm) lantern, and twelve flowers for the 12" (30.5 cm) lantern.

3 Glue the flowers to your lantern with craft glue.

4 Using green watercolors, paint a vine and leaves around the lantern, connecting the flowers.

5 Cover the stapled flower centers by gluing sequins or beads to each flower.

Excerpted from French General: Handmade Soirees: Simple Projects for Special Occasions by Kaari Meng. Copyright 2009 by Chronicle Books. Excerpted with permission by Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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