The Anchored Albatross
This Garden Lantern is my entry because I originally created similar arrangements for my bridesmaids (my sisters!) for their bouquets during my wedding. I had wanted to make one for myself as well, but ran out of time beforehand. I had the supplies purchased however, and had kept them safe for over 3 years, and now was a perfect opportunity to make the fourth one!
The metal Lantern had glass windowpanes, which I removed, and then wound artificial branches around the lantern frame, bending the internal wire and trying to make it look like the branches grew within the frame. I hot glued an 8-strand rope braid I braided to the underside of the top as a new handle, and began hot glueing various artificial plants in and around the lantern frame and branches.
There are artificial weeping willow vines, ferns, and white flower petals that I hand dyed blue and glued individually in place.
The moss varieties are real, and I even found some miniature plastic mushrooms that I repainted from red to blue instead.
I opted to have a birch tree patterned battery candle inside it to treat it more like a vase item instead of a planter.
I’m really happy with how it turned out, and yes, I did burn myself on the hot glue a few times! >.<
