Blazing Star Lamp

I wanted to make some sort of light feature for the Blazing Star Stables. I decided to make a star paper lantern. Origami has never been my forte. I don't think I have the patience for it, but I found a step-by-step guide for making a 3D star that even I could follow.

3D Paper Star - Paper Star Ornament with Template

I added a few steps to make this fit our theme:

1. I started with black cardstock, but any dark color will work
2. After I completed cutting and folding the points (but haven't glued them yet), I used spray paint to get a metallic look. I chose a brown hammered finish.
3. Once the paint had dried, I used a hole punch to make a pattern in the cardstock. I chose a small circle, but any shape or pattern will work great.
4. Next, I used a glue stick to glue a layer of tissue paper on the inside of the star-points to cover the holes that I had punched.
5. After completing step four, I followed the guide and glued my folded points together. I used hot-glue to make it stronger
6. Once each folded point is glued together, I used the guide to hot-glue all the points together. Since I wanted this to light up, I held off on sealing together the final points on the bottom of the star.
7. Now, how you light the star is up to you. I chose to use Christmas lights. I fed a stream of lights up the points and secured the wires with masking tape. Since this made out of paper and paint, it is flammable, so be careful that your star never gets too hot.

Now you have a blazing star for stables!

Stalactites & Stalagmites

Since the mission room is the Firefly Caverns, the first thing I decided to tackle was some 3D stalagmites and stalactites. I wanted to be able to hang the stalactites from the ceiling, so they needed to be light weight. I decided to use Great Stuff expanding foam (found at many hardware stores).

How-To

• First find something to use as a base for building the stalactite. It doesn't really matter what it looks like, because we will be peeling it off once we're finished. I prefer wax paper and poster board .

• Spray the foam in a circular pattern or in the shape you want your stalactite (keep in mind that it expands). I would only spray a few layers at a time to keep it from collapsing. After it stiffens add a few more layers. Keep doing this until you get it to the shape that you want. Be very careful with the foam - it is very sticky, so try to keep it off your skin and clothes.

• After you have the final shape of your stalactite and it has had time to harden, spray paint it to match the colors you are using in your Firefly Cavern. I mixed a flat-base and a satin-base to give the look of moisture.

• Once your stalactite is dry, it is time to peel it off the base (this is where the wax paper comes in handy). If you used wax paper it should peel off easy. Peel carefully to make sure you don't crack your new stalactite.

• When it is time to hang them from the ceiling, take a quilting needle and feed fishing line through the eye. Find a spot on the bottom of the stalactite and feed the needle through the foam. Once your line is through, your stalactite is ready to hang in your Firefly Cavern!