Though we often think of putting out luminarias at holiday time, there's no rule that says that's the ONLY time. And it certainly isn't necessary to line the entire front walk or driveway. A few at the front door or lining the porch steps can look pretty and say "welcome" any time of the year. I came to this conclusion when my daughter-in-law put four lighted candles at the front door one evening in October when I was invited to dinner. What a nice way to be greeted. For the luminarias I made today, hardware cloth and tissue paper were my materials of choice, and though the tissue paper seems to be too fragile to use for outdoors, it is well-coated with polymer medium (decoupage medium) so it is well-protected from the elements.
Materials:
1/4- or 1/8-inch grid hardware cloth
tissue paper
matte finish polymer medium, decoupage medium or Mod Podge
scissors and/or wire cutters
needle nose pliers
Note: Though a couple of the luminarias I showed had been rubber stamped and embossed and one had sticky-backed metallic charms attached, any decorating should be kept to a minimum. Patterned tissue should also be used with discretion. The tissue is placed over a gridded wire that shows through when the candles are lit, so too much decorating can easily be too much. You can test this ahead of time to see the effect.
Hardware cloth is available at the hardware store as well as at home remodeling stores. If you use the 1/8-inch grid, be sure to check to see that the wires are straight. This was not meant to be a "beauty" product.
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