Celebrate at Tutorial Time

Happy Friday!!  Still no computer so
 a bit of a struggle to get this post done but here it is...
Luminaries are a great way to welcome friends and family to your home.I have created a How to Tutorial for three different types. Here in the desert Southwest luminaries are a common sight during the holidays.

The first one is made with a paperbag using the Snowman image from the Holly Jolly Greetings  found at Marks Finest Papers a Heinrich Co.White paperbags are pretty sheer and lots of light shows thru.  You can find the tutorial Here with more details for each one.

One thing I want to warn you about, even small breezes can cause paperbags to catch fire. To be safe I now put all my candles in a jar inside the bag to prevent that problem.

The Second one is made from a oatmeal container This one is different as the light does not show thru like the bag. Red felt covers the container for the background and star cut outs allow the light to show thru. The cute little Santa images are also from the Holly Jolly Greetings. 

Now I wanted to show you that luminaries are not just for the Christmas Holidays. 

I use them year round when I have guests. They are fun because they can be

 used with any theme. I like the festive air and how inviting they are.

I love to go and do as much as anyone, But I don't think we really take

 time to welcome people to our homes and spend quality time together these days.

 I love to entertain and I want people to know when they are invited to my home to

 break bread it is a special time.Nothing takes the place of fellowshipping with family

 and friends. You know just by just adding a few decorations you can really

 make your guests feel special. I  make a theme decorated menu board so the guests

 know what they will be eating. I have made luminaries for Thanksgiving,

 Christmas, New Years, Fourth of July, Mexican, Italian, Vintage Girly Tea Parties,

Friends night and even for a Garden Luncheon.

This one I created for an Italian Theme.

 Given a choice I always buy food in glass containers so I have lots of jars to use.

 First you will need to determine the diameter of your jar then you can

 make a jacket to fit over it to create the luminaria. As you can see this is a simple use

 of the Italian theme. You can  do elaborate or simple but remember if you are using it

at night the little details do not show as well. My cute little Chef comes from the 

Celebrate Big Set.

Hope this tutorial will inspire you to make some Luminarias to welcome you next dinner guests!