The 2023 St. Martin's Day parade is just around the corner and you don't have any lanterns for the children yet? Don't worry, you can make a lantern yourself in no time and get ready for St. Martin's Day.
For many children, the St. Martin's Day parade is a very special experience. They are looking forward to marching through the streets with their homemade lanterns and singing St. Martin's songs. Today I'll show you some ideas on how you can make and decorate a beautiful lantern quickly and easily using different materials. Get inspired!
Make a lantern for St. Martin from simple materials
If you've never made your own St. Martin's lanterns before, you'll probably be amazed at how many options there are. I know it was me. And it's a lot easier than you think. I've already tried many of these ideas and almost all of them worked well, even though I'm not very handy. So don't worry and try it yourself. Here are the best ideas including craft tips!
Before you start, make sure you have everything you need on hand. In addition to the materials for the lantern itself, you also need a lantern stick (preferably with a plug connection) and a lantern bracket. Alternatively, you can use a simple stick, string and electric tea light. So you are well prepared for the lantern walk.
And now for the ideas.
Make a mini lantern with a toilet paper roll
Toilet roll is a really great crafting material - you can make so many beautiful things with it and it's practically free. If you plan to take part in the lantern parade with your toddler, then you can make a cute mini lantern that fits well in small children's hands. You can use an empty toilet paper roll to do this. Here's how to make it into a sparkly owl:
- Fold the top edge of the toilet roll to create the ears.
- Draw the eyes and stomach with a pencil. Cut out these pieces.
- Paint the owl in your preferred colors.
- Tape tracing paper inside the roll to cover the gaps. Record the eye pupils.
- Cut out the wings and beak from colored paper and glue them in the appropriate places.
- Glue a cross made of paper strips to the bottom of the toilet roll. Place an electric tea light on top.
- Make holes on the ears and tie the wire lantern hanger.
- Use a small lantern stick or a suitable stick for hanging. Complete!
Make a lantern with a paper plate
Ready-made lantern craft kits are available to buy everywhere right now. But actually, many of us already have the necessary materials at home and admittedly, it's a lot more fun if you customize the lanterns. One of my favorite ideas isthese from paper plates. You can decorate the edges of the plates as you like and even turn them into your favorite animal - anything that has a round shape will work. The child will be happy to take part.
Try out different ideas with balloons
In my opinion, no idea is as versatile as a lantern made from a balloon. In combination with the papier-mâché technique, simple round lanterns are created that you can decorate however you like and transform into pretty much anything. The only downside to this project is time. While it's quick to make, the papier-mâché requires a few hours to dry completely, making it unsuitable for a last-minute option. However, if you still have a few days left until the lantern parade, then you can also consider making balloons.
I know exactly how the craft method worksexplained in detail in this post. Here are some ideas on how to decorate the papier-mâché lantern:
- Cover with colored scraps of tracing paper
- Decorate with pressed flowers and leaves
- Cut out different features from craft paper and design animals, e.g. E.g. goose, fox, owl, rabbit, bat, bear and much more.
- Paint the faces of popular cartoon characters
- Stick with cotton wool and make a fluffy lantern (for example a sheep)
Of course, this is only a small part of the possibilities, so feel free to come up with something different.
Milk cartons also work well
Similar to the cardboard rolls, you can also upcycle other boxes and boxes to make original lanterns for the St. Martin's parade. There arelots of great ideas from empty milk cartons, cheese boxesand empty tissue boxes. The main thing is that the packaging is cleaned well, as leftover food can get moldy.
DIY St. Martin's lanterns made from plastic bottles
Another idea that I think is really great is thisLanterns made from plastic bottles. They are perfect for those who are not very handy. The process is really simple: you cut the bottle in half, remove the labels and stick or paint the sides. It is important that the bottle remains a little transparent so that the light can shine through. Then two holes are punched at the top for the lantern bracket and an LED light is inserted into them. Really simple, isn't it?
The PET bottles can also take the shape of different animals. For example, you can create ears on the edge of the bottle and paint the lantern like a fox or cat.
The quickest last minute idea: paper bag lanterns
If you came across this article just a few hours before the lantern parade and want to quickly make a lantern, then you arePaper bags are certainly your best choice. A paper bag often already has a hanger and you can put several electric tea lights in it. To create a design, you should just cut out a few motifs and stick transparent film or paper inside the bag. The paper can be painted in any way you like or stuck with different motifs so that the lantern can be designed completely individually.
Check out our other ideas:
→Sweet lanternwith unicorn motifMake crafts from lanterns or balloons, including templates
→OriginalSt. Martin's lanterns with animalsmake your own from different materials
→Templates for onecool dinosaur lantern
We hope you enjoy crafting!