Make a Lantern for the Holidays
Lanterns are more than a source of lighting -- they are also an indoor or outdoor home adornment. Homemade lanterns make the perfect decoration for Christmas, New Year's, Chinese New Year, Fourth of July, Halloween and almost any other holiday. They walk the line between a traditional decoration and modern style, and they are highly customizable. There are a few different models you can choose to make, including a hanging lantern and a table top tea light lantern. You can also use this as a child's craft or a more sophisticated home decoration for the holidays.
Contents
Steps
Hanging Lanterns
- Grab a piece of construction paper in the color of your choice. You may want to choose one that identifies the holiday, such as green for Christmas or orange for Halloween.
- For this specific project, you'll need to cut the construction paper so that it is 6 inches by 9 inches (15.2 by 22.9 cm) in size. Though, for the record, any rectangular size, within reason, will do.
- Start making creases. Fold the paper in half lengthwise. Crease with a bone folder or straight edge for an angled, oriental feel. Avoid creasing if you want something more romantic and softer.
- Then, fold the top, open edges down by 1/2 inch (1.3 cm). Crease with a bone folder. These will be your rims at the top and bottom of the lantern, once it is finished -- you will not be cutting into them.
- Unfold the rims. Glue a 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) strip of decorative scrapbooking paper in a holiday design to your rims. You could also use a complimentary color of construction paper. And, of course, you may leave them the original color, but the extra spark really makes them pop.
- Cut slits from the middle to the rims with scissors. This is easiest if you hold the paper so that the folded edge is facing downward. Space your slits approximately 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm) apart. If your last slit is too thick or too thin, that's fine. You can combine it with the first slit when you wrap it around.
- Unfold the paper. Curve the paper around, so that it is a cylindrical shape, with the center fold sticking out in the middle. Overlap the ends of the lantern. Staple the top and bottom rims where the paper overlaps.
- If you prefer, you may use tape or glue. Just try to keep either from being visible.
- Construct your handle. Cut a 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) by 6 inch (15.2 cm) strip of construction paper. Staple it to two points inside the top rim. You may also forego the handle entirely (but then how will you hang it up?) or make a smaller one that stays closer to the lantern itself.
- Add embellishments. You can glue on glitter, stickers, snowflakes, stars or other decorations to your lantern to make it even more eye-catching. Even just one star or sticker really spruces up the "holiday-ness" of your lantern.
- Make a series of homemade hanging lanterns and string them up to create a lantern garland.
Tabletop Lanterns
- Buy a lightweight paper. Translucent paper works well for this project and allows the most light to shine through. If that's not an option, grab a brown paper bag from your pantry.
- Some decorative papers can be expensive, so if you are looking for a budget-friendly lantern craft, brown paper lunch bags are your best bet. These are usually 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) wide and approximately 7 inches (17.8 cm) tall. Decorate the lunch bag as you would the decorative paper.
- Cut the paper to size. It needs to be approximately 5 or 6 inches (12.7 or 15.2 cm) high and 9 to 10 inches (22.9 to 25.4 cm) long. 9 inches (22.9 cm) in length is preferable; however, you may need to make the base wider if you need to fit it around a large votive holder.
- Cut another strip of paper that is 1 inch (2.5 cm) tall and 10 inches (25.4 cm) wide. This will serve as your base, keeping your lantern sturdy.
- Decorate your lantern while it is still flat on your craft table. The following are ways you can decorate your table top lantern:
- Paint watercolors onto your paper. Choose a holiday theme so that it reflects the season.
- Use light markers or brush pens to draw words or images onto your paper.
- Collage the paper with holiday designs from other scrapbook papers, wrapping paper, or magazines.
- Use holiday stencils on construction paper. Cut out the stencil and glue the image onto the paper, or you can place the stencil directly over the paper and paint the design onto your paper.
- If your paper is sturdy enough, you could cut holes into the paper in a pretty design to emit even more light through. However, tissue paper may not be strong enough to use this idea.
- Place a piece of double stick tape behind the entire vertical edge of one of the paper's edges. The thinner the paper, the more you'll want to avoid glue -- so double stick tape is necessary.
- Then, wrap the lantern around to form a cylinder. Align the opposite edge below the tape and stick it together firmly. Run your fingers along the edges to ensure all of it has adhered.
- Form your base. Place a piece of double-sided tape along your 1 by 10 inch (2.5 by 25.4 cm) strip. Adhere it to the bottom of your lantern for extra stability. Your lantern is now ready to be displayed!
- Light a votive and place it in a sturdy glass holder. Place your lantern around the glass holder and it will light up through the top. If you are using a brown paper bag, then carefully stick the glass votive holder inside the paper bag lantern.
Things You'll Need
Hanging Lanterns
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Stapler
- Staples
- Ruler
- Bone folder
- Scrapbooking paper
- Stickers, glitter or other decorations
Tabletop Lanterns
- Translucent paper or brown paper lunch bags
- Paint, markers or brush pens
- Stencils
- Double-sided tape
- Votive
- Glass votive holder
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