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You are here: Home / craft / A Paper Lantern DIY

A Paper Lantern DIY

October 14, 2010 By Kirsty 58 Comments

There’s nothing like a good crafting session to raise the spirits. It’s fun to create one-of-a-kind home decor items, and this paper lantern DIY will help you do just that. Whatever crazy colour you’ve painted your living room/nursery/front porch, it doesn’t matter – you can make a fantastic paper lantern with adorable bunting to match it perfectly!

The first thing you’ll need for this paper lantern DIY is, not surprisingly, a paper lantern! 🙂 These plain paper lanterns are very common – you can find them on Amazon*, in all different sizes and even colours.

IKEA bunting lantern hack - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

My plan was to decorate the paper lantern with some wee-little bunting. I had a very clear picture of the end product in my mind and started out full of exuberance one night.

I needed binding to attach my little flags to – so long 2 inch strips of fabric were ironed into binding. (For those unfamiliar with making binding, iron the material in half long ways, open up and fold each edge into the centre and iron again, then fold the whole thing back in half on itself. Keeps all the messy cut edges folded inside.)

If you’re not interested in making your own binding, you can buy it pre-made in 3 yd lengths. It comes in lots of colours – there’s a selection here*, including one in gold lamé*, which is very fancy.

IKEA bunting lantern hack - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

 Then to make all those little flags. I layered 4 or 5 strips (1.5″ wide) on top of each other and see-sawed my little ruler along it to cut triangles. See my new little ruler*? Cute huh?

IKEA bunting lantern hack - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

 This was a great stash-buster BTW.

IKEA bunting lantern hack - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

Anyhoo, after cutting what seemed like a million little flags, I started to wonder why I’d thought up this hare-brained decorating scheme. But it was all worth it when cute little lines of bunting popped out the back of the sewing machine.

IKEA bunting lantern hack - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

I gave it a quick pressing with my iron and it came up beautifully.

IKEA bunting lantern hack - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

 Then came the best part. The hot glue gun. This was a recent purchase, not yet used. Where have you been all my life, little glue gun*? This is the best invention ever! I know, I don’t get out much.

paper lantern DIY - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

After all that cutting, ironing and sewing, this was a breeze. I just glued the bunting down following the lantern’s framework. All done.

Then I released my bunting lantern into the wilderness. Here it is in it’s new home:

Paper lantern DIY - a tutorial by Kirsty at Bonjour Quilts

Another project ticked off my list.

If you enjoyed this paper lantern DIY, good news, I have another paper lantern decorating tutorial over here.

Happy DIYing my friends!

A paper lantern DIY - tutorial by Bonjour Quilts to create a beautiful decoration for the nursery, weddings, etc

*affiliate links

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Filed Under: craft, decorating, tutorial

Comments

  1. Selina says

    October 14, 2010 at 9:45 pm

    Kirsty, that is just gorgeous! I’m not really a huge bunting fan, haven’t understood the little bunting craze that’s been going on, until just now. I’m now sold!

    Reply
  2. Bloom says

    October 15, 2010 at 1:13 am

    I love this Kirsty! What a great idea. The bunting is adorable.

    Reply
  3. A Spoonful Of Sugar says

    October 15, 2010 at 2:47 am

    Simply gorgeous!! I have a thing for bunting – that is a super sweet make over. I think I will have to head over to Ikea again soon:)

    Reply
  4. Marg says

    October 16, 2010 at 3:12 am

    Hi, I just found your blog through Selina, loved reading your posts.. I love the lantern and bunting, absolutely gorgeous.

    Reply
  5. D A V S says

    October 16, 2010 at 6:25 am

    Oh! You make me jealous! The lampshade looks perfect!:)

    Reply
  6. Sarah says

    October 16, 2010 at 6:59 am

    Just come from Selina’s too. What a clever lady you are to make such a pretty lantern. I absolutely love it. I also love your stained glass quilt you are making. I am intrigued as to how you make it. It’s very tricky looking. Maybe I will google it later on. Can’t wait to see it finished.

    Reply
  7. Francine says

    October 16, 2010 at 8:11 am

    I adore this and will be making one for my son’s room very soon!

    It’s nice to find another person blogging about crafting and life in France 🙂

    Reply
  8. Pene says

    October 16, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    wow what an amazing lantern, i love it and am sorely tempted to make one for my grandaughters for xmas. Abolutely stunning well done you
    Pene

    Reply
  9. Amanda says

    October 16, 2010 at 5:10 pm

    Genius! I love it! Lots of love, Amanda xxx

    Reply
  10. suesueb says

    October 16, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    love, love, love the lantern! Your blog name also is fabulous!!

    Reply
  11. diana says

    October 18, 2010 at 1:54 am

    Came in a rush from flickr 🙂 to say I.love.it! It’s perfect!

    Reply
  12. ThirdMargaret says

    October 18, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    I just flew over from wherever I first saw this adorable idea, then I spent some (excessive) time pouring through your previous entries. You are so creative and your blog is such fun! Can’t wait to visit again!

    Reply
  13. [email protected] says

    October 19, 2010 at 10:28 am

    Thanks Margaret!

    Reply
  14. Serendipitychild says

    October 21, 2010 at 9:40 pm

    Such a cool idea, I love it.

    Reply
  15. [email protected] says

    October 24, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    Found your lantern featured over at Be Different, Act Normal. I love this idea. Great job!

    Reply
  16. sachasächali says

    October 24, 2010 at 8:32 pm

    wow, a really great ideea!!
    Greetings, daniela

    Reply
  17. Allison says

    November 16, 2010 at 12:00 pm

    That turned out so pretty!

    Reply
  18. [email protected] says

    January 12, 2011 at 11:03 pm

    This is the single cutest thing I have seen in a long time. BRAVO!

    Reply
  19. domestikated says

    February 1, 2011 at 10:44 pm

    Oh my goodness I love this so much! What a brilliant idea! Hope you don’t mind I linked to it from my blog. I just love it too much!

    Reply
  20. creativecowgirl says

    March 24, 2011 at 2:01 am

    I love this! It would be so cute for party decorations.

    Reply
  21. Amnah says

    March 24, 2011 at 4:09 am

    This is absolutely perfect.

    Reply
  22. Jaime says

    March 24, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    That is darling!!! I’d love for you to link up to Wow Me Wednesday!

    http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/2011/03/wow-me-wednesday_23.html

    Reply
  23. Jaime says

    March 29, 2011 at 6:09 pm

    I featured you today on my Toast of Tuesday! Come grab a button!

    http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/2011/03/toast-of-tuesday_29.html

    Reply
  24. Miki says

    April 14, 2011 at 6:19 pm

    Just saw your project on Dollar Store Crafts and quickly came over to check it out! So great! I have a dozen of these lamps at home – just waiting for the perfect project and now I found it. I do have a question for you though – can you tell me about that amazing painting in the background? 🙂 Thanks!

    Reply
  25. [email protected] says

    April 15, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    Hi Miki, the painting is a big ole canvas I painted almost five years ago. I actually painted a pair of them because I couldn’t find anything that went with my lounge room in Australia; turns out they matched that lantern quite well. They’ve since moved to the staircase since taking this photo.

    Thanks for dropping by and thanks for telling me about the Dollar Store Crafts site, I had no idea!

    Reply
  26. ~april says

    April 15, 2011 at 11:46 pm

    i’m in love! want to make one now! found you from dollar store crafts too!

    Reply
  27. Tash says

    April 17, 2011 at 2:58 am

    This is so simple and eye catching! Love it. Look out for a feature on it on our FB page, Whimsy Petite Styling! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  28. Maggie says

    April 19, 2011 at 5:35 pm

    That is absolutely adorable. I can’t get over it. I think I just fell in LOVE! I think I need to go out and make myself one of these. Thanks for sharing. Love love love it!

    Reply
  29. Auntie Lolo says

    April 19, 2011 at 5:56 pm

    I love this! I featured it on my blog today. Feel free to grab a featured button!

    Lois

    http://www.auntielolocrafts.blogspot.com

    Reply
  30. Handbags*N*Pigtails says

    April 20, 2011 at 12:03 am

    This is absolutely fan-tab-u-lous! LOVE it!
    XO,
    Sarah

    Reply
  31. {Peppermint Plum} says

    April 22, 2011 at 7:37 am

    This is amazing! I love it SO much! 🙂

    -Annie @ {PP}

    Reply
  32. Divya says

    April 23, 2011 at 6:30 am

    This looks so nice and pleasant. Thanks for sharing it with us 🙂

    Reply
  33. Allison says

    April 25, 2011 at 4:11 am

    I just finished my lantern yesterday. I actually had all the materials, including the lanterns, in my stash. It looks lovely in my one year olds room. Thanks for this great idea.

    Reply
  34. Nina says

    April 26, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    So pretty – and now I know why I’ve been saving all those stupidly small fabric scraps! You could actually stitch the bunting to these lanterns, which also have the advantage of being fairly traded (i.e. the people who made them got paid properly, whereas for E1.50 the IKEA workers presumably didn’t…): http://www.onevillage.org/lighting.htm#glowbal1

    Reply
  35. Ange says

    April 27, 2011 at 3:11 am

    LOVE IT! Totally want to make one for my sun porch this summer.

    agedsimplicity.etsy.com

    Reply
  36. Yolanda @ Miss Refashionista says

    April 27, 2011 at 10:46 am

    Perfect for a play area. You rock!!

    Reply
  37. Jess says

    April 28, 2011 at 10:44 pm

    What a great way to dress up a paper lantern! I so need one for my dining room!

    Reply
  38. Baker Hill Homes says

    May 1, 2011 at 4:41 am

    Great fun!!! Just found your blog though Oh-Dee-Doh & loving it.
    Cheers, Julia @ Baker Hill Homes

    Reply
  39. tonpia says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:50 am

    Hi. I just found your blog and am enjoying poking through it. I adore this project and am sort of sewing impaired so I have some basic questions: how long was your bunting strand and how much space did you leave between the flags?

    Thanks.

    Reply
  40. [email protected] says

    May 20, 2011 at 6:54 am

    Hi Tonpia,

    The bunting was as long as it took to wrap around the lantern! (sorry, I didn’t measure it). The little flags are roughly 2.5 inches apart, centre to centre. Hope that helps.

    Reply
  41. Amy says

    June 6, 2011 at 3:17 pm

    Adorable!!! I am running out the door now to go to IKEA to get a lantern and make one of these so cute!!! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  42. raising4princesses says

    June 7, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    Hello from your newest follower! I love your blog’s name and this idea is so darling! If you have a chance stop by my blog.
    http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com
    [email protected]

    Reply
  43. stitchinnetka says

    June 8, 2011 at 4:18 pm

    I LOVE this idea,I’m a huge banner fan :),I make then in all different shapes and sizes and sell the in my store, but I have never thought of this idea. Thanks for sharing ,I’ii use it for up coming summer celebrations.

    Reply
  44. I wanna be creative says

    June 9, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    I copied you, loved the idea so much – thanks for sharing! Was too lazy to go to the bottom of the lantern, but still looks cool for my yet to be born baby’s room! Pic at http://www.flickr.com/photos/iwannabcreative/5815949253/in/photostream

    Reply
  45. Amanda says

    July 4, 2011 at 9:45 am

    This is such a fab idea, love it! I have one of these lanterns still in the packaging somewhere, off to find it and use up some scraps! Thanks for sharing such a fab idea!

    Reply
  46. Lorena Garrido says

    August 28, 2011 at 8:02 pm

    Love it! Thanks for sharing! <3

    Reply
  47. She Loves Life says

    September 3, 2011 at 12:22 am

    Hi there! Thanks so much for sharing this idea with us. I featured it on my blog today and pinned it on pinterest today too!

    Reply
  48. Christine @ Pure Joy Events says

    September 18, 2011 at 1:12 am

    Love this tutorial. Link it up to my Party Tutorial contest for a chance to win some fabulous prizes:

    Reply
  49. make handmade says

    October 4, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    Great tutorial. I love it, thanks for sharing

    Reply
  50. Heather - Chickabug says

    November 17, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    Hi Kirsty! This has been my favorite lantern tutorial for SO long, and I finally blogged about it today!

    http://www.chickabug.com/blog/2011/11/diy-paper-lantern-decorating-ideas.html

    Thank you for the inspiration! : )

    Heather

    Reply
  51. happysewlucky says

    November 25, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    Love this! Such a happy light. 🙂

    Reply
  52. von Hand zu Hand says

    June 2, 2012 at 8:14 am

    i love it!! easy, but fantastic!!

    I linked to your tutorial on my blog – thanks for sharing!

    doro K.

    Reply
  53. Anonymous says

    June 5, 2012 at 7:56 am

    Thank you for sharing! I bought 3 lanterns to experiment on for my upcoming baby’s nursery. I dont have a sewing machine and wouldnt know how to work one anyway.. you think i can just use ribbons and colorful paper instead of bunting?? love your blog!

    Mama at 40 in the Philippines

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      June 5, 2012 at 8:47 am

      Absolutely – anything that you can glue down is fair game for decorating these lanterns. You could cut colourful paper triangles and stick them to the underside of the ribbon to create bunting and then glue the bunting to the lantern just as I did. Good luck!

      Reply
  54. Bengelmaldrei says

    June 29, 2012 at 8:09 am

    Sehr schön, eine tolle Anleitung…Danke

    Lieben Gruß Claudi

    Reply
  55. Caroline says

    January 10, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    That is sush a good idea. The final aspect is so funny and beautiful. Nice blog. Hope to see you soon on mine. XOXO

    Reply
  56. Stacy McDermott says

    July 20, 2014 at 7:14 am

    Love this idea, the bunting is really cute and effective. I’ve featured it as one of my favourite DIY paper lantern projects on my party blog post http://www.stylemyparty.co.uk/blog/20-diy-paper-lanterns/ hope you like it, take a peak!

    Reply
  57. Emy co says

    June 29, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    very good idea, I love it! thank you about this tutorial 😉

    Reply

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