Easy DIY Halloween Lanterns Ideas

Making your own DIY Halloween lanterns is the best way to give your house a frightening glow as Halloween draws near. These lantern ideas can enhance your Halloween décor and provide a fun project for the whole family, whether you're hosting a haunted house, trick-or-treating, or simply want to get into the spirit of the season. Let's get started on some original, imaginative, and simple lantern projects that will turn your room into a Halloween paradise!

Top 6 DIY Halloween lanterns Ideas

1. Spooky Mason Jar Lanterns

Mason jars make excellent Halloween lanterns and are a very flexible craft material. Mason jars, acrylic paint, tissue paper, mod podge, and tea lights that run on batteries are some of the basic supplies you'll need.

• Step-by-Step:
  1. Start by cleaning the mason jars thoroughly.
  2. For a ghostly glow, coat the inside with white paint, or for a pumpkin look, go with orange.
  3. Cut out spooky shapes (like bats, spiders, or jack-o'-lantern faces) from black tissue paper.
  4. Apply mod podge on the outside of the jar and stick on the tissue paper shapes.
  5. Once dry, drop a tea light inside for an eerie glow!

These lanterns would look great as window sills, on your porch, or even as the focal point of your Halloween celebration.

2. Paper Bag Luminaries

Paper bag luminaries are a timeless do-it-yourself Halloween decoration that can be altered in a variety of ways and emit a gentle, eerie glow. LED candles, scissors, a hole punch, and brown or black paper bags are all you need.

• Step-by-Step:
  1. Cut out creepy designs (like witches, bats, or skulls) from the paper bags using a craft knife.
  2. For a simpler design, use a hole punch to create patterns or spooky shapes.
  3. Place LED candles inside the bags and line them up along your driveway or walkway to greet your guests with a haunted path.

These lights are easy to assemble, sustainable, and ideal for outdoor décor!

3. Milk Jug Monsters

Using this inexpensive craft, you can transform your empty milk jugs into illuminating Halloween creatures! Gather paint, string lights, a black sharpie, and several empty plastic jugs.

• Step-by-Step:
  1. Wash the milk jugs thoroughly and let them dry.
  2. Using paint or sharpies, draw spooky faces—anything from grinning pumpkins to sinister ghosts.
  3. Cut a small hole in the back of the jug to insert a string of LED lights or battery-operated lights.
  4. Once the lights are inside, place your monsters in the garden or by your front door for a terrifying welcome!

Kids will love this activity, and your Halloween setting will look colourful and unusual with the glowing monsters.

4. Tin Can Lanterns

Make Halloween lanterns out of those old tin cans to give them a new lease on life! A hammer, nails, spray paint, candles, and a few empty cans are all you'll need.

• Step-by-Step:
  1. Clean the cans and remove any labels.
  2. Fill them with water and freeze (this helps prevent the can from bending while you work).
  3. Once frozen, use a hammer and nail to create designs like bats, cats, or ghosts by making small holes.
  4. After the cans are thawed and dried, spray paint them in Halloween colors like black, orange, or purple.
  5. Place a candle inside the can, and as the light shines through the holes, it will cast spooky shadows!

Reusable lanterns made of tin cans are strong, sustainable, and environmentally beneficial.

5. Pumpkin Lanterns with a Twist

Although pumpkins are a classic choice for Halloween décor, why not try something different this year? Make painted lanterns out of the pumpkins instead of carving them.

• Step-by-Step:
  1. Choose small to medium-sized pumpkins and paint them in your desired Halloween colors—black, white, or metallic shades work great!
  2. Once the paint dries, use glow-in-the-dark paint to add ghostly patterns or jack-o’-lantern faces.
  3. Insert a battery-operated candle inside the pumpkin and watch it come to life after dark.

Despite being less dirty than traditional pumpkin carving, these no-carve lanterns are just as creepy.

6. Floating Witch Lanterns

Make witch lanterns that float in the air for a genuinely enchanted effect! This project is ideal for Halloween gatherings held outside or indoors.

• Step-by-Step:
  1. Use lightweight paper lanterns as the base.
  2. Paint the lanterns black or purple, and add a witch's hat on top.
  3. Attach some tattered fabric to hang beneath the lantern, creating the look of a floating witch cloak.
  4. Suspend them from trees, ceilings, or porches using fishing line, giving the illusion that they’re floating mid-air.

Your guests will be enthralled by the lovely atmosphere created by these lanterns.

Final Thoughts

Making your own DIY Halloween lanterns is an enjoyable and cost-effective way to add individualised spookiness to your decor. These lanterns not only add a festive glow, but they're also a fantastic way to use everyday objects creatively and repurpose them. So, this Halloween, grab your materials and let your creativity go wild!

Happy haunting! Shop Now Halloween Decoration Items