Fall and winter are prime lantern time, and I am constantly thinking of different ways to make lanterns this time of year. It feels like it suddenly gets dark at 4 or 5 pm so the desire for more light is almost instinctive I think. Winter and Winter Solstice seem like the perfect time for sparkly magical lanterns, and they have serious snow queen vibes. It was really hard to capture the extreme sparkliness in photos, so I did my best, but these are way more sparkly in person. This is actually a pretty simple craft, but will need too cool overnight and dry out for at least another day.These little lanterns are perfect for a Winter Solstice lantern walk or party!
Magic Crystal Geode Lanterns
I’ve always loved making borax crystals– I supersaturate the borax solution so that larger crystals form. Most recipes use a lot less borax which will still work, but will form smaller crystals. Fair warning this lantern is a bit on the heavy side, but it’s stunning and totally worth it.
- White pipe cleaners
- 2 quarts of water
- 2 cups of borax + more
- wire or twine
- LED tealight
Weave the pipe cleaners into a little bowl shape, It doesn’t have to be super accurate, the crystals will cover it, but try and get the shape more or less the size and shape you are looking for. make two small loops at the top that will eventually get a pice of wire to hold the finished lantern.
Bring the water to a boil on the stove in a non- food crafting pot.
Add the 2 cups of borax and stir to dissolve.
Continue adding borax until it stops dissolving. You will add a lot– like half the box. The more you add the bigger the the crystals will be. I usually just stop when I get tired of stirring it in.
Turn off the heat.
Tie the lantern form to a stick that you can rest across the top of the pot and submerge it completely in the solution. It isn’t supposed to touch the sides or bottom of the pot, but real talk, mine nearly always do. You just have to unstick them when you’re done because the crystals attach to pot. It’s a pain, but possible.
Cover with a lid and allow to cool naturally overnight. The next morning reveal your beautiful crystal geode lantern!!
Remove it from the solution (chipping it off the bottom of the pot if it’s gotten stuck…) and set it on some paper bags to dry.
Loop some wire or twine through the loops to make a hanger and add an LED tealight.
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