Brighten your autumn evenings with handmade lanterns: try sugar, salt, and apples + 3 more ideas
The most beautiful lanterns are made by hand. Craft delightful mood-setters with salt, sugar, apples, and pumpkins.
1. Light up your steps
Dig out any chipped drinking glasses you no longer use, and paint them with frosted spray paint to transform them into tealight holders. Just make sure they don’t taper at the rim.
Tip
The paint is dust-dry in about 5–10 minutes, touch-dry in about 15, and fully cured in about 24 hours. Apply at least two coats, letting each coat dry until the surface turns matte.
2. Pumpkin lantern
Cut off the pumpkin’s top and scoop out the insides. Drill holes all over the pumpkin and place battery-powered LED lights inside. A power drill works fastest, but a nail and hammer will also do the trick. The pumpkin will stay fresh for a few days.
3. Apple lantern
Transform apples into beautiful candle holders. You’ll also need candle cups (available at craft stores) and a decorative ribbon. Carve a hole in the apple’s stem end that fits the candle cup. Tie the ribbon in a bow around the cup and press it into the apple. Finally, add the candle.
Tip!
You can also make a candle holder from a pomegranate.
4. A star-patterned lantern with sugar
Press a star-shaped cookie cutter onto the lantern’s glass side. Brush glue around it and sprinkle sugar on top. Carefully remove the cutter. Repeat on the other glass panels. The sugar layer easily washes off with water and dish soap.
5. Salt lanterns
Frosty tealight lanterns are easy to make with salt and glue. Spread a generous, even layer of glue on the jar’s surface. Sprinkle salt on top and let it dry. If you plan to use your lantern outdoors or on a patio, you can improve its weather resistance with a layer of clear spray varnish. Check out the detailed instructions and step-by-step photos for making a salt lantern!
6. Leafy lanterns for ambiance
Gather the most beautiful leaves from your yard and let them dry. Brush a thin layer of decoupage varnish or watered-down glue on the back of each leaf and press them onto a clean glass jar. Then brush another layer of varnish or glue over them. It will turn clear as it dries.
Remember fire safety!
For lanterns and lighting made from glass jars and paper, only use non-heating LED lights or tealights.
