Light up your windows with gingerbread-style lanterns: create an idyllic paper village
Made from cardstock, these lanterns combine the Finnish gingerbread house tradition with the ambiance of ceramic house lanterns popular at Central European Christmas markets. Place your little paper-lantern town on a dresser, a windowsill, or a staircase.
Cardstock lanterns—materials:
- two large sheets of craft cardstock
- a ruler, a pencil, and an eraser
- a cutting mat or another sturdy cutting surface
- a craft or utility knife
- a white paint pen
- paper glue
How to make cardstock lanterns
1. On one of the cardstock sheets, draw a template for house shape you want. You’ll need two identical end pieces, two side pieces that match the end pieces in height, and roof pieces whose length matches the roof ridge of the end pieces.
2. Draw the door and windows on one of the end pieces. Next, add 1.5 centimeters (about 1/2 inch) of seam allowance to the side of the other end piece, to the sides of both roof pieces, and to the top edge of one roof piece, keeping the original lines visible as fold markers.
3. Cut out the templates with a craft knife on a cutting mat. Steady your blade with a ruler to keep the cuts straight. You can cut the windows freehand; a bit of asymmetry adds cozy charm.
4. Trace the entire house shape onto your cardstock using the template, including the window openings. Start at the left edge and line up each new piece with the piece before it.
5. Cut out the house from the cardstock sheet with a craft knife on the cutting mat. Remove the window and door openings.
6. Decorate the front of the house freehand with white paint-pen flourishes and let the paint dry.
7. Spread paper glue on the right side of the folded seam allowances and glue the house together so it forms a bottomless gabled cube.
8. Place the house over an LED candle or a small set of string lights.
Tips!
- If you add a base piece with a seam allowance to one of the template sections and skip cutting windows and doors, you’ll have stunning holiday gift boxes. Let your imagination soar!
- Even a single bright decorative house on the windowsill can bring the holiday spirit into your home, but you can keep going by making a small village or even a 24-house Advent calendar set, lighting up a new house each day in December until Christmas Eve.
