Epiphany Lantern Lighting the Way

Today, I am featuring a Christmas-themed project after December 25. This lantern is made in time for the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings' Day, when the Wise Men, or Magi, visit baby Jesus. It's a Christian holiday celebrated on January 6th.

I began by selecting my cutcardstock.com colors.

DCS Discount Card Stock: Blast Off Blue Card Stock

Silk Glitter Black Prince Card Stock 12x12

Silk Glitter Opulent Opal 12x12 Card Stock

I use my Cricut Air for many of my projects, and this was no exception. I fell in love with this design and knew it would make a great centerpiece. There aren’t many layers involved in this project, but it looks like there are. 

What I love about this project is it tells a story. I chose a blue card stock base to represent the night sky, as the Wise men followed the North Star to see baby Jesus and bring him gifts fit for a king. I love the black glitter over the blue — it frames the image nicely and gives the lantern a silhouette even during daylight. Lastly, the lantern needed some “brightening up,” so I used the white glitter card stock to represent the starry night. The contrast works, making everything pop.

For the glitter papers, I used the Cricut glitter plus more pressure setting. This ensured that I got clean cuts in the paper, typically thicker card stock paper than non-glitter paper. The blue base was cut on an intricate cut with normal pressure. I prefer intricate cuts for most of my work because the cuts are always consistent. I keep my custom setting on intricate for that reason.

Assembling the lantern was easy because the design included cut score lines. They bend easily, allowing the glue to adhere to the next piece easily.

The best part about the lantern, aside from how it looks during the day, is how it looks in dim light with a tea light inside. 

I hope you enjoyed this project and will make something similar if you celebrate the Epiphany!