Paper lanterns are a festive embellishment for any occasion. You can decide to change the colors to match them with each season or anniversary. Hang them for a party or use them as a centerpiece to fully appreciate them. The tips in this article will help you create a decorative paper lantern.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make a Lantern with a Handle
Step 1. Fold the paper
Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half lengthwise. It can be of any size and weight. A plain sheet of printer paper is fine, but cardstock or scrapbook paper is just as good. The weight should be quite low, otherwise there is a risk that the lantern could collapse under its own weight.
You can use a sheet of sturdy colored paper or a decorative scrapbook sheet if you want to make your artwork more festive
Step 2. Cut the paper
Make cross cuts across the folded edge, but not to the end. It's up to you to decide how long you want the slits to be. Keep in mind, however, that the longer they are the more light will filter through them and the more flexible / elastic the lantern will be.
You also need to determine how wide you want the slots to be; remember that the number of openings you decide to create will completely change the look of the final lantern. A crack every 2.5 cm or so is a fairly common solution
Step 3. Create the tube
Take the two ends of the paper and wrap them together to make a cylinder. Use a piece of duct tape or glue to join the two ends together. Make sure you join them to their full length! Put the tape inside, so that it is not visible.
Optionally, you can also use staples of a stapler to attach the two sides of the lantern to each other
Step 4. Create the handle
Cut a piece of paper to make a handle. If you used a sheet of printer paper, the handle should be about 15cm long and 2.5cm wide. If you plan to hang the lantern, you don't necessarily have to make this accessory, as you can secure it across the base with a ribbon or string.
If you plan to hang it, you can use a piece of string or string instead of using the handle. In this case, if you wish, you can leave out this phase of your realization
Step 5. Secure the handle
With glue or duct tape, secure it to the inside of the top of the lantern.
If the lantern has too straight edges, fold them a little. It will slowly yield and take the shape you want. The heavier the paper, the more you will need to force to shape it however you want
Step 6. Enjoy your finished work
At the end you can put a candle inside, hang it from the ceiling or use it as a centerpiece.
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Since the lantern is made of paper, limit yourself to placing only diffuser candles or votive candles in the center if you have a glass cup to put them in. Put the candle in the glass and place the lantern around the glass when you light the candle. The ideal is that the glass is high, to prevent the flame from burning the edge of the lantern and causing a fire.
Put the candle inside the lantern only if it is resting on a flat surface, not if it is hanging or if you have applied the handle
Method 2 of 3: Create a "Snowflake" Lantern
Step 1. Make two circles of paper
You can use any round object as a reference, then draw a circle on two pieces of paper and cut them with scissors. Make sure the two circles are about the same size.
- You can decide on any format. The important thing is to remember that the greater the diameter of the circle, the larger the lantern will be. You can use a plate, the lid an ice cream tub, the bottom of a bucket or any other round object.
- You can also use any type of paper you want: normal, white printer paper, colored cards, decorated paper and so on.
Step 2. Fold the first circle
Take one of the two circles and fold it in half. Then, fold it in half two more times. This way you will eventually get a shape that will look like a slice of pizza (a long triangle with a rounded top).
Step 3. Draw lines on the paper
Following the curve of the top of the sheet (the one that in the pizza example should be the crust), draw alternating lines on the sheet along the entire length of the paper, but which do not completely reach the opposite side. Start on the left side and draw a slightly curved line that stops shortly before (about 2.5 - 1.3 cm) you reach the right side. Then, from the point below the line just drawn, start on the right side and draw another slightly curved line that stops just before the left edge.
Continue this alternating pattern until you reach the bottom of the paper (the tip of the triangle)
Step 4. Make a hole
Cut a small piece of the tip of the triangle, thus creating a hole in the center of the paper.
Step 5. Cut the lines
Use the scissors to cut the paper along the curved lines you drew. Try to respect the lines carefully, but don't worry if it's not too perfect a job. The important thing is to be careful not to accidentally cut the triangle along its entire width, up to the opposite side.
Step 6. Open the sheet
Be careful not to tear any of the delicate strips you just cut and unfold the paper until it returns to its open circle shape.
Step 7. Complete the work with the other circle
Repeat steps 2-6 on the second circle you originally cut, so that you get two identical circles.
Step 8. Glue the two circles together
Use glue to join them together on the outer ring only. Make sure you don't glue the insides and wait for the glue to dry.
Step 9. Spread the various pieces of the lantern outwards
Gently tug on each side of the lantern so that the pieces are distributed showing the beautiful design you cut out.
Tie a string on top (through the hole and outer ring) and hang the lantern where you can appreciate your creation
Method 3 of 3: Make a Spherical Lantern with Tissue Paper
Step 1. Choose a color
For this project, you need some tissue paper to cover the outer structure of a spherical paper lantern respecting a certain design, so you need to procure enough to make this project possible.
You can decide to use tissue paper in a single color or make a multicolored lantern. You can create any combination of shades you want or anything else that makes sense, based on how you plan to use the lantern
Step 2. Make circles of tissue paper
Use any circle-shaped object (a coffee jar lid, small salad plate, etc.) as a template for tracing the circles on the tissue paper. Depending on the size of the circles, you will need about 100. Trace the circles on the tissue paper, keeping them as close together as possible to avoid wasting too much paper.
Avoid making the circles too big or too small. If they are too big, the lantern will not be pretty swollen, while if they are too small, you will have to do a lot more work than necessary. The right balance is to make circles the size of the coffee jar lid
Step 3. Cut the circles
Use the scissors to cut all the circles drawn on the paper. Handle tissue paper carefully as it is very thin and tears easily.
Step 4. Cover the base of a pre-constructed spherical paper lantern
Take one of the paper circles and glue it to the bottom of the frame. Make sure the glue is centered directly on the bottom, so that the decoration retains its shape even when you lift the sphere.
Step 5. Create the bottom row of tissue paper circles
Starting from the base of the lantern, make a ring of tissue paper circles by gluing only the top edge along the entire circumference of the structure.
Make sure the bottom row of circles dangle over the bottom edge of the lantern, to give it a whimsical, wavy look
Step 6. Cover the entire outer surface of the lantern with the circles of tissue paper
Repeat step 5 until the entire lantern is completely covered. As you proceed upwards with each row of circles, make sure that at least 2.5 cm of the underlying circle is visible. This way the final creation will have a layered look.
Advice
- Do not put a candle or any other flammable object inside (unless it is in a glass), as it could cause a serious fire.
- Use different colored cards or paper. A decorative pattern allows you to hide any asymmetrical lines.
- Build your own white paper lantern if you want to use it as a décor item, then insert LED bulbs of different colors that won't overheat the paper. Use the colors and decorations of your choice.
