How to Make Paper Lanterns Work for You!
Paper lanterns are cheap beautiful -- a win-win in my book! In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a decorative element that can make as much of an impact for as cheap a price. Oops paint maybe? New curtains out of tablecloths? Maybe. ...but I am on the paper lantern train and it would take a lot to get me off! Join me today as I show you how to utilize these inexpensive design tools as a magical wall treatment!
1. Very carefully and gently open the paper lanterns and stretch with the included metal insert. Be careful! I broke several. The eyelet lanterns are particularly fragile.
2. Work with a partner to determine heights and groupings of the lanterns before hanging. Odd number groupings work best.
3. Tie fishing line to the top metal hook of the lantern.
Simply slide a single tea light into the bottom of the lantern and let it rest on the metal framework.
My bedroom is painted a deep green/teal kind of color and for the longest time, I was stumped by the giant expanse of green along our headboard. I wanted to fill the space with art or photos, but it would be prohibitively expensive to do so. I made fern canvases which helped, but there was still too much empty space. So the fern canvases got a new home, and I had an idea to use inexpensive paper lanterns for a fun and whimsical wall installation. This craft would work perfectly for any home, but with the addition of candles could be the perfect wedding or event display! Join me today as I show you how to create this look with a few simple supplies and cheap paper lanterns!
The white pops perfectly against the green and the lanterns were the perfect cheap, quick and pretty solution. If you are working with white walls, you might try the colored lanterns for the same look in the opposite manner.
Supplies needed to make your own paper lantern wall installation:
- Paper Lanterns (I used the White Eyelet Lanterns and a variety of 12 in and 8 in white lanterns)
- Fishing Line or Clear Thread
- Clear Pushpins
- LED Tea Lights
1. Very carefully and gently open the paper lanterns and stretch with the included metal insert. Be careful! I broke several. The eyelet lanterns are particularly fragile.
2. Work with a partner to determine heights and groupings of the lanterns before hanging. Odd number groupings work best.
3. Tie fishing line to the top metal hook of the lantern.
4. Wrap the top of the fishing wire around the metal pushpin 5-6 times and secure with a knot. Test to make sure the height is exactly where you want it.
5. Insert the clear pushpin directly into the ceiling. These lanterns are so light that a pushpin in the drywall is plenty to hold them secure (even with candles inside!)
Once the lanterns are hung, take a rest on the bed and look up. Aren't these fun?
I wanted to take the whimsy a step further though and make these lanterns twinkle at night. Real candles would have produced the biggest fire hazard you've ever seen, but flickering LED tea lights? Perfect.
Simply slide a single tea light into the bottom of the lantern and let it rest on the metal framework.
Once they are all lit and flickering in a pitch black room, the effect is absolutely magical! They are the perfect solution to my big blank expanse of green! Now THAT is a way to make paper lanterns work for YOU!
(Thanks to Crafts Unleashed and Consumer Crafts for the Supplies!)
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