How to Make Paper Lanterns

Paper lanterns are a fun and festive decoration for all occasions. With a few simple materials, you can make your own paper lanterns to decorate to your liking!

Table of Contents

Make a lantern with a handle

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Folding. Fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise. Paper can be of arbitrary size and thickness. Plain paper is fine, but you can use plain colored paper or patterned background paper. ^{[1] X Research Source} The thinner the paper, the easier it is to collapse the lantern.

You can use single-color or patterned paper to give the lantern a more festive atmosphere.

Cut the paper. Cut from the folded edge, but do not cut all the way to the other end. This depends on how long you want the gap to be. The longer the openings, the more light is emitted, and the more flexible and soft the lamp is.

You can also decide the width of the paper strips. The number of strips of paper will change the shape of the lantern. Each cut is about 2.5 cm apart.

Roll the piece of paper into a tube. Roll the piece of paper and fold the two edges together to form a round tube. Use tape or glue to glue the two edges of the paper together. Remember to stick the whole length of the lantern! You should stick it inside to avoid revealing the tape.

You can also staple to attach the two paper edges of the lantern.

Make handles. Cut a strip of paper to make a handle. If using printed paper, the lantern handle should be about 15 cm long and 2.5 cm wide..

If you want to hang the lantern, you won’t need a handle – the lantern will be hung on a ribbon or string attached to the light.

Attach the handle. Use glue or tape to secure the handle inside the top rim of the lantern.

If the lantern looks straight, you should press it down a bit. Gradually the lantern will have the desired shape. The harder the paper, the more you need to bend the lantern.

Enjoy the results. You can put candles in lanterns, hang them on the ceiling or use them as decorations in the center of the table.

Because lanterns are made of paper, you should only put small cup candles or lanterns in the center of the lantern if there is a cup to hold the candle. Place the candle in the glass and cover the lantern outside to light the lamp. It is best to use a tall glass so that the flame does not scorch the edge of the lantern and catch fire.
- Light candles only if you place the lantern on a flat surface, do not light candles when hanging or carrying the lantern.

Making a “snowflake” lantern

Cut two paper circles. ^{[2] X Research Source} Use any circular object to trace on paper and cut with scissors. Make sure the two circles are the same size.

You can cut the circle to any size, just remember that the bigger the circle, the bigger the lantern. You can use a circular ice cream plate or lid, the bottom of a bucket, or any other round object.
You can also use any type of paper you like: regular white paper, plain colored paper, patterned paper, etc.

Fold the first circle. Take a circle in half, then double it two more times. You should end up with a shape that looks like pizza slices (a bit like a long triangle with a curve on top).

Draw curved lines. Draw curves that follow the curve of the circle ( the edge of the pizza ), draw alternating curves that come from the two edges one after the other but don’t reach the other side. ^{[3] X Research Source} Starting from the left edge, draw a slight curve and stop a small distance (2.5 to 1 cm) from the right edge. Then draw a slight curve starting from the right edge below the curve you just drew and stopping near the left edge.

Continue alternating like this until you reach the end point (pointy end of the triangle).

Cut a small hole. Cut a small piece of paper at the pointed end of the triangle to make a small hole in the center of the circle.

Cut curves. Use scissors to cut the paper along the curves you just drew. Try to cut exactly to the lines, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just make sure you don’t cut across the other line.

Open the paper. Be careful not to tear the cut strips of paper, unfold the paper into a circle like the first one.

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Complete the second circle. Repeat steps 2 to 6 for the second circle so that you have two equally cut circles.

Glue the two circles together. Use glue to glue the outer rings of the two circles together. Make sure not to glue the insides of the two circles. Let the glue dry.

Pull the two sides of the lantern apart. Gently pull the sides of the lantern so that the pieces of paper stretch and reveal the beautiful design you just cut.

Tie a string over the top of the lantern (through the opening in the outer ring) and hang it somewhere for viewing.

Make a round lantern with paper towels

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Choose color. For this style of lantern, you will need paper towels. Pieces of tissue will cover the outside of the round lantern frame, so you will need a sufficient number of tissues.

You can use all of the paper towels of the same color or choose multiple colors to make the lantern. Combine whatever color pattern you like or suit the purpose of the lamp.

Cut out circles with paper towels. Use any circular object (coffee box lid, small plate, etc.) to trace the items in circles on the paper towel. Depending on the size of the circle, you will need about 100 circles cut out of paper towels. ^{[4] X Research Source} Draw circles on paper towels, as close together as possible to save paper towels.

Do not draw circles that are too big or too small. If the circles are too big, the lantern will look flaring; If it’s too small, you’ll have to work harder than necessary. You should draw circles the size of a coffee can lid.

Cut out circles. Use scissors to cut out all the circles. Handle paper towels very carefully as they are very thin and tear easily.

Glue the bottom of the round lantern. Take a circle cut out from the paper towel and glue it to the bottom of the lantern. Make sure to properly center the bottom of the lantern so that you can then do the rest for symmetry when gluing on top.

Glue a row of circles around the bottom of the lantern. Starting from the bottom of the lantern, create a row of circles by gluing the top of each circle to the lantern. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Make sure the circle at the bottom of the lantern hangs lower than the frame for a soft and shimmering look.

Cover the entire lantern with circles. Repeat step 5 until the entire lantern is covered with circles cut out of paper towels. Each time you stick it on the top ring, remember to stick it so that the row of circles below shows about 2.5 cm. So your finished product will have each layer.

Advice

Make a lamp out of light colored paper in two colors if you want to light it up, but if it’s just for decoration, you can use multicolored or textured paper of your choice.
Do not place any other flammable objects inside the lantern (except in a cup) as this may cause a fire.
Use paper of different colors. Patterns will help hide disproportionate lines.

Warning

Never light a candle unattended!

Things you need

White paper or colored paper
Drag
Glue, tape or stapler
Tissue
Round paper lanterns
Wire (optional)

Steps