How to Make a Lantern
Gather your materials: Glue (stick or liquid is fine) Glue dots and/or tape Scissors Piece of blank paper Felt pens (for drawing) Thicker paper or thin cardboard for the lid and base Rope or twine (for hanging) A battery-powered tea light candle...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials: Glue (stick or liquid is fine) Glue dots and/or tape Scissors Piece of blank paper Felt pens (for drawing) Thicker paper or thin cardboard for the lid and base Rope or twine (for hanging) A battery-powered tea light candle (aka an electric tea light);
It can be a design of your choosing.
A standard piece of white printer paper will work fine.
Use felt pens — paints and pencil crayons will block the candle’s light more.
If you’re feeling creative, you can use other colors of paper.
Just make sure the paper’s not so thick that the candle’s light can’t shine through it.
The thinner the paper is, the better, although tracing paper will be too thin — you still want it to be strong! A colorful design with strong black lines will look nice. , To do this correctly, make sure you always have your first fold sitting at the top of the stack of folds that you’re making.
It shouldn’t fold under any other paper — all the other paper should fold under it.
Think of it as kind of a back-and-forth motion: each time you make a new fold, the sheet of unfolded paper will be in front of or behind your folded strip.
The more careful and precise you are with your folds, the better the lantern will look.
Feel free to experiment with the width of the folds to see what you like best. , To fasten the ends together, apply glue or tape to the last fold on one side of the paper, and place the last fold of the other side of the paper on top of it.
You could use double tape on both folds so that when you overlap them, they’ll be extra secure.
Be sure to hold the sides together for a moment to ensure that they’re securely fastened. , These should be the same size.
To know how large to make them, place your lantern on top of the paper you’ll use, and lightly trace around it.
Cut just inside the line you draw so that the base and lid won’t stick out from your lantern.
Make sure the paper is sturdy enough to support the weight of an electric tea light and the lantern itself. , You can do this with a good glue or tape, or a combination of the two for added sturdiness.
If you're worried about the glue being strong enough to keep the base fastened to the lantern, consider using melted glue from a hot glue gun instead.
Just be careful that you don’t burn yourself! , Use a pen, hole punch, or the tip of your scissors to poke 2 small holes near the top of the lantern (1/2 to 1 inch down from the top is good).
The holes should be right across from each other so that the lantern hangs evenly.
Imagine if you poked a stick straight through one side of the lantern and it came out the other.
This is how you want the holes to sit. , Think of it as putting a handle on the lantern.
You’ll attach the “handle” to the lantern by feeding the rope through the holes in the sides of the lantern, and then tying knots.
Start on the inside of the lantern and tie knots in the rope on the outside of the hole you’ve fed it through.
The length of your rope will depend on how low you want the lantern to hang, which will depend on where you want to hang it. , Cut a hole in the center of the lid and then slide it down over the rope so that it sits near the top of the lantern, just inside of it.
To keep the lid from coming up too easily, you can place a couple of rubbery glue dots on the rope so that it holds on to the lid when the lid presses down on it.
You do want the lid to be easily liftable as this is how you’ll access the candle, so don’t fasten it permanently to the lantern. , If you’re going to use the lantern right away, you can already turn the tea light on.
Note that in the image an actual tea light is shown, but using an actual tea light is not advisable as it presents a fire hazard. , If you do decide to use a real candle in this lantern, make sure that you don’t hang it somewhere windy; if the lantern is tilted with a real candle inside it, it could easily catch on fire. -
Step 2: Draw a design on a blank piece of paper.
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Step 3: Fold the paper into vertical strips
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Step 4: like a fan or accordion.
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Step 5: Curve the folded paper into a circle and fasten the ends together.
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Step 6: Cut 2 circles out of thicker paper for your lid and base.
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Step 7: Fasten the base on to the bottom of the lantern.
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Step 8: Poke 2 small holes in the lantern for rope.
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Step 9: Cut the rope and fasten it to the lantern.
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Step 10: Cut a hole in the lid and feed rope through it.
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Step 11: Place an electric tea light in the lantern.
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Step 12: Enjoy your homemade lantern!
Detailed Guide
It can be a design of your choosing.
A standard piece of white printer paper will work fine.
Use felt pens — paints and pencil crayons will block the candle’s light more.
If you’re feeling creative, you can use other colors of paper.
Just make sure the paper’s not so thick that the candle’s light can’t shine through it.
The thinner the paper is, the better, although tracing paper will be too thin — you still want it to be strong! A colorful design with strong black lines will look nice. , To do this correctly, make sure you always have your first fold sitting at the top of the stack of folds that you’re making.
It shouldn’t fold under any other paper — all the other paper should fold under it.
Think of it as kind of a back-and-forth motion: each time you make a new fold, the sheet of unfolded paper will be in front of or behind your folded strip.
The more careful and precise you are with your folds, the better the lantern will look.
Feel free to experiment with the width of the folds to see what you like best. , To fasten the ends together, apply glue or tape to the last fold on one side of the paper, and place the last fold of the other side of the paper on top of it.
You could use double tape on both folds so that when you overlap them, they’ll be extra secure.
Be sure to hold the sides together for a moment to ensure that they’re securely fastened. , These should be the same size.
To know how large to make them, place your lantern on top of the paper you’ll use, and lightly trace around it.
Cut just inside the line you draw so that the base and lid won’t stick out from your lantern.
Make sure the paper is sturdy enough to support the weight of an electric tea light and the lantern itself. , You can do this with a good glue or tape, or a combination of the two for added sturdiness.
If you're worried about the glue being strong enough to keep the base fastened to the lantern, consider using melted glue from a hot glue gun instead.
Just be careful that you don’t burn yourself! , Use a pen, hole punch, or the tip of your scissors to poke 2 small holes near the top of the lantern (1/2 to 1 inch down from the top is good).
The holes should be right across from each other so that the lantern hangs evenly.
Imagine if you poked a stick straight through one side of the lantern and it came out the other.
This is how you want the holes to sit. , Think of it as putting a handle on the lantern.
You’ll attach the “handle” to the lantern by feeding the rope through the holes in the sides of the lantern, and then tying knots.
Start on the inside of the lantern and tie knots in the rope on the outside of the hole you’ve fed it through.
The length of your rope will depend on how low you want the lantern to hang, which will depend on where you want to hang it. , Cut a hole in the center of the lid and then slide it down over the rope so that it sits near the top of the lantern, just inside of it.
To keep the lid from coming up too easily, you can place a couple of rubbery glue dots on the rope so that it holds on to the lid when the lid presses down on it.
You do want the lid to be easily liftable as this is how you’ll access the candle, so don’t fasten it permanently to the lantern. , If you’re going to use the lantern right away, you can already turn the tea light on.
Note that in the image an actual tea light is shown, but using an actual tea light is not advisable as it presents a fire hazard. , If you do decide to use a real candle in this lantern, make sure that you don’t hang it somewhere windy; if the lantern is tilted with a real candle inside it, it could easily catch on fire.
About the Author
Terry Perez
A seasoned expert in education and learning, Terry Perez combines 10 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Terry's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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