You Will Need:
Plain brown-paper bags (or colored ones work too!)
Cardboard or foam board
Pencil
Craft Knife
Tracing Paper
Tape
Sand
Tea light candles (battery operated works too)
Decor tools:
Print Page

Directions:
1. Any brown bag will work, as long as its unprinted. Turn down the top of the bag about two inches to give the luminary a nice, neat rim and help the bag keep its shape.

2. Determine which side of the bag will be front, and use a pencil to lightly sketch a design on that side. You can either trace a Halloween motif from a book, magazine, clip art/vector, or create a hand free design. Lettering works well too, especially if you use the bags to form a message that is read in sequence.

3. Slip a piece of cardboard or foam board inside the bag and use a craft knife to cut out the design. Be careful not to cut through the cardboard to the back of the bag. Remove the cardboard and tape tracing paper over the design on the inside of the bag.

4. Place a scoop of sand in the bottom of bag to anchor the luminary and provide a stable base. Position candle in the middle of the sand, well away from the sides of the bag.

My notes: You can also use colored paper bags or battery operated tea lights if you are worried about fire. You can also add two or three battery operated tea lights per bag – experiment and see what works best. You can also put the tea light in a glass tea light holder in the bag.

© Women’s Day Halloween Celebrations 2003