Raven Lantern

 "And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting...
...just above my chamber door...
and the lamp-light o'ver him streaming throws his shadow on the floor..."
Edgar Allen Poe "The Raven"

After transforming last week's jar with fall flowers, I started seeing halloween-inspired versions in my mind's eye. My hubby liked how the glow lights created the perfect little night light, so I made The Raven version just for him.

In this one I included glow-in-the-dark stars and wooden balls, along with a few black glass marbles to play off the raven.

 In the dark the lantern glows an eery electric blue with ghostly green suspended stars and 'planets.'

back side of Raven Lantern

I have no idea how to capture the glowing effect you see in the dark while having enough light to show the decorated top of the jar. So, these photos are the best I could do. It's way cooler in person!

"Quoth the raven: 'Nevermore.'"

Q: What's one of your favorite halloween poems or songs?

Here's how you create The Raven Lantern:

Gather your supplies.

I found the raven, skulls, glass marbles, blue glow stick, and glow-in-the-dark stars at Michaels. I had some burlap and purple mesh, found the stick and bark in the yard, and scabbed some fake leaves off an arrangement in the house. Alternatively, you could use one of those little battery operated tea lights to make your lantern. Just take some of the marbles out of the top and stick the tea light in there with the 'flame' down so you can easily turn it off and on each night.

As before, start by hot gluing the burlap to the jar lid, being careful not to burn your fingers! Glue on the mesh, the stick, the bark and leaves. Glue the raven onto the stick and hold it for a couple of minutes until it is completely stable. Glue on the skull. I then added a few fall flowers.

I had painted the wooden balls the night before with some glow-in-the-dark paint we've had around the house for years. Then I just layered the clear glass balls with a few black glass balls and these glow balls, sticking an occasional star down the side as I went.

I also glued a black/orange reversible ribbon around the jar lid to fully secure the burlap and mesh.

Love these skulls! They were just $2 for a bag of 8! Here you can see how I tied the ribbon into a bow on the side.

Glowing Skull Playing Cards by iGottaCreate

Enjoy!

You can see more Halloween Projects on my Table of Contents.