Bring on Spring - Thrifted Lantern

This past weekend the temps were in the high 50's/60's.  We has some big storms roll through and today... 

Iowa mother nature is always up for the challenge of seeing just how many seasons can be packed into the shortest span of time.  She is a "hold my beer and watch this!" Sort of girl.

So... since tomorrow will likely bring another thaw and more false spring I am bring Spring indoors.

My inspiration is this thrifted lantern.

I love the shape and the weathered patina.  I also like the little bit of rust.  If you like a cleaner look any lantern, old or new, would do.  You just want the glass panes to be able to be removable to sneak a small cord through.  A lantern with a missing pane would work well too.  

Lanterns are one of my favorite things to pick up.  They can be used inside and outside and come in every shape and size imaginable. 

You aren't limited to a lantern. A cool birdcage would be fantastic or... get creative! 

I picked up this plant grow light on Amazon.  It is one of my favorites to use in a project like this.  It has a clear cord with a timmer and the stake can be expanded to be different heights.  If you are going to decorate with plants, which I love to do, consider the needs of your plant. 

The violet I chose in this project is perfect because:

*  Who doesn't love a long blooming plant?

*  They stay compact

*  They like a little extra humidity (The glass enclosure as well as a tray of pebbles and water underneith creates that little extra humidity they like.  The open top allows excess humidity to escape.)

I simply placed the light stake in the plant and ran the cord out of the bottom under the glass.  

Most lanterns have clips like this pic below to hold the glass panes in place.  If you carefully bend them out it allows the panes to wiggle just enough to run the cord under it.  These prongs also make it so much easier to give your lantern a thourough cleaning. 

After the cord is run, you can set the timer and let it go.  I like to give plants under the lights a minimum of 8 (up to 12) hours of light each day. 

Happy thrifting!  Don't forget to take a little time to make a merry mess.