Nowadays, the market offers a wide variety of captivating lamps and lanterns that are simply irresistible. Their enchanting designs make them perfect for decoration and hanging in any room while creating a mesmerising ambiance.

Therefore, today, I’ll guide you through an easy DIY project to make a stunning night lantern. This DIY night lantern will add a touch of elegance to your room and can be hung anywhere you desire. Trust me, it looks absolutely stunning at night, so say goodbye to sleeping in the dark and illuminate your room with this beautiful DIY creation.

Photos by the writer
Photos by the writer

Things you need:

  1. An empty plastic bottle (water or of soft drink; whatever available to you)

  2. Paper cutter or scissors

  3. String to hang (of any colour)

  4. Coloured papers (at least 6 colours of rainbow)

  5. Double tape

  6. Fairy lights

Photos by the writer
Photos by the writer

Directions:

  1. Mark the bottle at 6-inches, lengthwise from the bottom to the top, picture 2

  2. You will need the help an elder to cut the bottle at the marked area, picture 3.

  3. Make two small holes on both sides of the bottle, and insert string from one hole to the other, and tie a knot on both sides to secure it, picture 4.

  4. Make another small hole in the centre of the bottle’s bottom to insert the tassel.

  5. Cut the papers to match the diameter of the bottle. In my case, the diameter was 8 inches, so I cut the papers to be 8 inches long and 4 inches wide, picture 5.

  6. Paste double-sided tape on one side of the papers, length-wise, picture 6.

  7. Make thin slits or fringes on the side of the papers opposite to the one with the double-sided tape, picture 7.

  8. After completing the previous steps, use a ruler, pencil, or stick to press and curve the fringes outward, picture 8.

  9. To make a tassel, cut fringes in four pieces of paper, each measuring two inches long and two inches wide. Then, paste their edges together and use double-sided tape on the top. Attach a string and roll it to secure the tassel; pictures 9, 10 and 11.

  10. Paste the fringed papers one by one on the bottle, start from below, two inches above the bottom, pictures 12, and 13.

  11. Keep pasting the fringed papers until you reach the top, picture 14.

  12. Insert the tassel string from the bottom of the bottle then make a knot inside the bottle, picture 15.

  13. Insert fairy lights inside the bottle, the DIY night lantern is ready, hang it and see the magic, picture 16.

The writer can be contacted at ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, May 27th, 2023

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