Page 64 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2026

THE
ISSUE
story by Mary Sunderman photos by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
Sometimes the best crafts are the ones that sparkle— especially when kids get to make them themselves! This colorful fishbowl lantern is a fun and easy project that lets young creators turn simple materials into a glowing underwater scene. With bits of tissue paper,
a little glitter, and a few decorations, kids can design their own ocean-inspired masterpiece. Once finished, place an LED light inside and watch their magical fishbowl shine! Follow the steps below to create your own glowing aquatic adventure.
What You’ll Need:
• Fishbowls or other glass containers • Various colors of tissue paper
• Mod Podge
• Glitter
• LED flameless candles
• Paint brushes
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Stickers, shells, ribbon and/or decorative stones
(optional)
Directions:
1. Make sure your glassware is clean and you have all the items you need at the ready.
2. Start by tearing pieces of tissue paper for the water. We used strips of white to cover the entire bowl and then added various shades of blue to create the water. 3. When you’re ready to apply the tissue, be sure to coat the container in Mod Podge before placing the tissue paper and then liberally coating the top of the tissue paper to ensure it sticks. We applied the shades of blue in a gradient from light to dark to achieve a water-like effect.
4. If you’d like, you can cut out additional shapes to add to your fish bowl, such as fish, corals, etc. and add them on top of the water. Be sure not to get the tissue too thick so that light can still shine through.
5. Once you’re happy with your bowl and while the Mod Podge is still wet, apply some glitter for some extra sparkle!
6. Allow your creation to dry. We left ours overnight.
7. Now it’s time for the fun part: decorating! Using a hot glue gun, apply your decorations. We used glass stones, shells, stickers, and various types of ribbon.
8. Add a handful of glass stones to the bottom of the inside of the bowl, insert your LED flameless candle, and enjoy!
64 | April 2026 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living