DIY paper lanterns are some of my favorite things! They are simple to make, and can add ambiance to any space instantly.
You can download the free DIY paper lantern templates at the end!
( Update: After I published this tutorial, many people have told me that they used these DIY paper lanterns for their weddings! It is so rewarding to hear that! )
These 3-dimensional flower DIY paper lanterns with lights are made with very simple materials:
old drinking glasses or vases, paper, and LED lights or candles! ( Some of the helpful resources are affiliate links. Full disclosure here. )
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You may also love these new improved DIY paper lanterns: this new set of paper lanterns are made with plastic bottles and LED string lights!
Materials and tools for the DIY paper lanterns:
- glass with straight sides, such as cylinders or cubes
- paper : I used this great quality index card stock .
- I used a Silhouette Portrait – LOVE that little machine! – but it’s easy enough to cut with an X-acto knife
- double sided tape
- to light up our paper lantern, I recommend LED candles or micro LED Warm White String Lights which are very bright, and are safer than real candles!
You can download the free DIY paper lantern templates at the end!
Step 1: Print and cut paper lanterns designs
Print the template on paper, I used sturdy 110lb index card stock such as these.
Cut out the leaves and stems, and cut along the lines of the petals, be careful not to cut too much and cut them off.
Next, measure the size of your glass and cut the excess paper away.
Step 2: Attach paper lanterns to glass vase
Now the fun part! Gently fold those petals up so the blossoms become three dimensional!
Use double sided tape to tape the paper onto the outside of the glasses. You will have a beautiful paper lantern!
Now we can patiently waiting for sunset to light up the candles and appreciate the beauty and magic of these DIY paper lanterns!
Although it is nice to have a bright candle flickering inside the paper lantern, I highly recommend using LED candles or these LED Warm White String Lights which are very bright, and are safer than real candles!
Download the free paper lantern templates below-
Love paper and art? You need no art experience to make this watercolor in 10 minutes, but you do need a toothbrush, wha?!? 
Another set of paper lanterns are here! With colored glow!
Happy crafting!
Sofie
They are very cool!! They look easy to make but the cutting part ….oh!
Besitos
ananda
come on sofie, you can do it! =) especially knowing how talented you are! xo
Tarun
This is so beautiful dear friend. I wish you had this idea for my contest :).
ananda
nice to have ya here tarun! my problem is i have ideas to keep 100 of me busy but there aren’t 100! =)
Jamie
I just LOVE these! Thank you for the templates – making them today!
ananda
awesome jamie! =)
Julie
I cant find the templates arghhh . HELP a woman out here please😁
ananda
hi julie, did you check junk mail? subscribers confirmation email has a button that leads to all downloads 🙂
Betsy
LOVE these! I can’t believe how easy they are to make….and they look so great!
ananda
thank you betsy! =)
Neely Stoller
This is so neat!
ananda
thank you neely!
Emma Harris
A gorgeous make as always, you’re innovation is just brilliant x
ananda
emma you are so sweet!! xo
Alexa
Great idea. Might be nice for a wedding too 🙂
ananda
hi alexa! i love weddings, especially the decor =)
Cailin @ Mommy Dove
Easy and so fabulous! Could be cute to glue thin paper of another color on the back before cutting too…that way when they fold out, there’s a pop of color visible. Just a thought!
ananda
love love the idea cailin! it may just be my next project! =)
Lynn
Lovely! Nicer than candles as a centerpiece for a nice company dinner!
ananda
thank you! we’ll use them for our next company dinner =)
kendall
Okay, this is really really cool! Great work!
ananda
thank you kendall!=)
Crystal C
great idea, I love these candles they are gorgeous
estherjulee
these are beautiful. great job!! 🙂
Myrabev
This is super cute thanks for sharing, I have bookmarked this post for future use
Paulina Dragoeva
This is amazing! It looks so beautiful! Great job and thanks for sharing! 🙂
ananda
thank you dear paulina! =)
Katie Matthews
These are beautiful, what a lovely and inventive idea! I’d love to see this with coloured glass shining through the paper holes!
Katie <3
ananda
thank you katie! i love colored light and will have to make one! =)
Raewyn Smith
Woah! These look so fancy!!!
Elizabeth Moyle
Love this will re-use small jars that hold my scented candles x
ananda
thank you elizabeth! Xo
brita
Those are awesome! I’m pinning this for later
ananda
thank you brita!
Rebekah
Beautiful! Totally pinned so I can try this sometime – can’t wait to see your next design!
ananda
thank you rebekah!=)
Sarah
These are amazing, I’m pinning this later 🙂
ananda
thank you sarah! =)
Sarah M
Wow, they look amazing with such simple materials!
ananda
thank you sarah! xo
Ashley
These are beautiful! Thank you for sharing! I am going to pin for sure.
ananda
thank you ashley ! =)
Jenn @ hellorigby!
So pretty! What a great DIY.
ananda
thank you jenn!
Xilaa
Merci beaucoup pour ce partage ! Les photophores sont magnifiques !
ananda
thank you so much! =)
Jemma Andrew-Adiamah
These look gorgeous!
Jessica
Those are beautiful! This will definitely be my next project!
Tawny @GlamorouslyMommy
These are so simle and gorgeous!
Lissa Cole
Those lanterns are really pretty! I would probably butcher the job but I still might give it a try
ananda
thank you lissa! i am certain you will make some amazing ones! =)
Carly Brydon
Those lanterns are so pretty! I’m going to have to bust out my Cameo and make some of these!
ananda
thanks carly! those little machines are so fun!
mel
Oh my you’re amazing! They look absolutely beautiful, well done you. Mel xx
ananda
thank you mel! i so loved reading about your home on design sponge!! xo
Ashley
These are SO cool! Definitely will be making these.
Leanna Ranieri
These are so gorgeous! Very simple!
Jessica Doll (@teamwiking)
These are really cute!
Alicia @ Felt With Love Designs
So pretty!! I need to make some of these!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen
Wow!!! These lanterns are BEAUTIFUL! I love how gorgeous and almost 3-D like they are. I need to make some of these because I love things that glow in the night too! And, I have to laugh – because you and I have the exact same glasses. Hahaha! So, now I know exactly how mine will look provide I can cut them out right! 🙂
ananda
dear kristi that means we both have a lot of miss-match plates too haha!! xo
Carly from The Puzzled Palate
These are beautiful! I love that it is a fairly simple concept that creates a very dramatic look!
Cam | Bibs and Baubles
Those are so beautiful! What a great DIY! I’d love to use these for an outdoor dinner.
régine
Merci de nous faire voir ce très bel ouvrage de décoration , très facile à faire avec un résultat magnifique ,il faut continuer à nous faire de si belles choses ,beaucoup d’imagination , merci encore . Régine
James
Woww !!! Amazing…. How thick is the paper ?? How weight , 100 gr ?? Or 150gr
ananda
thank you! it’s more like 165gsm or a little heavier. i wish all the paper is labeled in gsm! =)
Jordan
So delicate! This would be absolutely perfect on my desk!
Julio(Brasil)
Simply lovely and creative.
excellent /
Julia D.
Oh how delightful! I just love them and looking forward to making them in all shapes and sizes.
Thanks for sharing and just love your blog site.
XXOO
Marilyn
These are stunning
Hannah
Very pretty, love lanterns like this 🙂
Susan Cocjin
I have a Silhouette Cameo and have found the perfect giveaway I’ve been looking for for my son’s wedding. Thanks for sharing!
ananda
yay! congrats! so glad to know that! =)
Rose Schneider
I love these! I downloaded template into SIL DE but it did not trace well. Was I supposed to import a different way? TIA
ananda
hi rose, that’s what i used, & some readers have made them too, not sure why yours are not cutting right, make sure all lines are set at 0 !
paige
love these! I am trying to download them and they download to my computer but when I try to open the silhouette one I get a message “There is no application set to open the document “dimensional-paper-apieceofrainbow.studio3”. I have a silhouette cameo and updated the software – I know I must be doing something wrong – can you help me out?
ananda
hi paige, you may need to unzip the file first – try stuffit, it’s free – then it should open! =)
sam christensen
Ananda,
when i pull the file in to the silhouette studio it only has one of the deisgns and i know there are 3 on the first and 2 on the second.
suggestions? trace?
thank you they are very beautiful!
ananda
Hi sam, the studio file has 1 design because i just moved things around to make variations according to the glass sizes. =)
baileyrosy
Beautiful ! Thanks so much of sharing these beautiful projects just in the process of making them.
Marie
dakshinamurty ramasamy
super idea. thank you so much
DIYselfies
What a great article, and thanks for posting it to DIYselfies! i will add them to my queue today! i hope you will get loads of new fans!
Mia Maria
ananda
thank you dear mia! i am so honored! =)
DIYselfies
Ananda, i love your articles! we now feature them on our Facebook and DIYselfies pages! I hope they will bring you many new fans!
Mia
Anita
Hi!!!
I want to make these for gifts, but I can’t get the templates to download 🙁
ananda
try ask some friends to download it and email it to you! it works – thousands of downloads already =)
Lisa
So cool and beautiful! I could see one as a gift for a “crafty” friend, but also include your new template and paper as part of the gift. 🙂
Goerski
Bonjour,
Avez- vous d’autres modèles de “paper cutting” pour lanternes?!
Merci
Cordialement.
Lora
: ) I got it, just double tapped on it.
I was making it harder than it should have been.
These mac computers are a little different.
ananda
thank you lora for sharing! this will help other mac users! =)
lisa
Hi there, love these candles..I used to be a cardmaker and love doing paper crafts so I know I’d love this but am wondering what I could use for other templates as well, is there somewhere you got your deisgns…or could you share more designs with me?? Thanks,Lisa
ananda
thank you lisa! there’s another set on this blog if you go to DIY on the top menu. i will create more in 2015. i did try to design one for the holidays but was not 100% satisfied with how they turned out, will keep working on them! =)
Lizzand3
is there a file to down load for this candle wrap?
These are beautiful. great job!
ananda
yes Liz, link is in the post somewhere! =)
Dawn
At first glance, I thought these were pinecones… a thought for the holidays?
ananda
great idea Dawn! thank you! more on the way!! =)
Marty
Hi I just love those luminaries but I have a Cricut. Is it possible to just get the SVG file as I can’t cut Silhouette files They are really beautiful would love to make them, hanks
ananda
hi marty! use this and the pdf – http://image.online-convert.com/convert-to-svg
Abigail Cain
So pretty and unique. I will have to try with my cutting machine.
Michele
HI I have just come across your wonderful post !! I really want to make some of these for he summer. Can I ask is there an issue with health and safety for the paper white and coloured that you use alongside the candle?
thanks
ananda
hi michele, the papers are non toxic. if you use real candles, just take basic cautions because there is fire. LED candles are great and much safer! =)
Nery
Hello! I’m trying to download the pattern and nothing. It keeps asking me to join the emailing list and I have. I also tried emailing the project to myself am still nothing. I really need to print the pattern out because I will be hand cutting them and I need to make 50! Help please!!
ananda
hi nery, you can find it here – http://www.apieceofrainbow.com/creative-fun/
enjoy!
KATE
Vey interesting!
Barb
Would love the SVG file for these as well! so cute!!
Aya
Hi, it’s so beautiful. Somehow I can’t find the templates for both lanterns. It says download below and them there’s nothing there. Can you tell me where they are? My daughter and I are really excited to try this! Aya.
Julie
I thought I was going mad cos I can’t findvtemplates either. HELP PLEASE as I’m desperate to try this. They are gorgeous
Elise Roberge
Hi Ananda,
Thank you for sharing this tutorial and tamplate. I wonder if you have the svg version of the template to use with the cricut to be able to cut and score the lines.
ananda
hi elise, i think cricut can convert the pdf to cut line. no score lines in this project, just curle the petals by hand. hope that helps! 🙂