Mermaid's Lantern by Lynne

Ahoy mateys! I spent some time playing around with some sea-themed goodies this week and managed to capture a mermaid in  my crackly vintage lantern:

I started with the Cage Style Lantern,, which I painted with gold acrylic paint.

I then painted it with a thick layer of Folk Art crackle medium and when hat was dry, finished it off with antique white acrylic paint and some gold ink along the edges and here and there on the surfaces. I fitted pieces from a clear blue acrylic sheet to the inside panels of the lantern'

The waves were painted with blue acrylic paint and attached to the inside of each panel along the bottom; I ended up covering most of the one in the front with the sponge, shells and compass, but they show quite clearly on the sides and back.

I ran the mermaid's tail through a Cuttlebug embossing folder that came in a set of 4 animal print folders...

I then primed her with acrylic paints and the used Twinkling H2Os to add deeper colour and a little shimmer. She was attached to a battery-operated tea light that was covered with sheer teal ribbon to soften the glow of the light.

I diecut the anchor from metallic gold paper, then heat embossed it with Distress embossing powder and rubbed it with black and brown inks for an old rusty look. I attached it with a Tim Holtz clip and chain.

I treated the Tim Holtz metal compass with the same finish. The sea sponge here is real and was found on the Queen Charotte Islands when we were there some years back (as were all the shells and driftwood that are in the background of my photos-my suitcases weighed a ton!!)

I added a small piece of driftwood and some shells to the top of the lantern, along with a little Spanish moss to give a seaweedy look.

This lantern is so versatile; it could be used for any theme or as a Christmas decoration, in any colour scheme and finish you choose. Thanks so much for stopping by to see my version, and have yourself a fabulous week!

GYPSY SOUL ITEMS USED

Lantern, cage style
Mermaids shape set
Seaside Decor (waves)

OTHER ITEMS USED

Ranger Distress embossing powder, metal compass and chain
Memory Box anchor die
Folk Art crackle medium
DecoArt acrylic paints