As soon as the weather begins to turn cold, I cannot stop making lanterns. This darker time of year is perfect for flickering lights and lantern walks. Sometimes I build the lantern structure itself for a more advanced project, but I like to have a variety of easy to make lanterns as well. This is one of those. I usually like to leave natural materials natural, but these lanterns are so cute I couldn’t help myself! The lantern also makes use of fallen autumn leaves making it especially seasonally appropriate. If you are working with younger kids, or just prefer the natural shapes, you can skip the cutting and just use full leaves instead. You can use any type of leaf you prefer, although some seem to hold their color better than others.
Materials:
- recycled glass jars
- autumn leaves: red, orange, pale yellow and green
- modpodge or white glue
- twine
- LED tealights
- foam brush
- scissors
- hole punch
- exacto knife (optional)
Method:
Start by collecting your leaves. squash them under some heavy books for a few hours if they won’t lie flat.
Next, cut out the shapes. The type of leaf you use is going to influence how you cut, but you can use this diagram as a guide. Let the pattern of the leaf help you decide where to cut, for instance the veins of the leaf can become ribs of a pumpkin.
Cut up your scraps into random pieces to make the ground on the mushroom lantern.Use the hole punch to make holes in the mushroom caps. Use an exacto knife to make a jack-o-lantern in the pumpkins if desired.
Using the foam brush, spread a thin layer of modpodge or glue onto a section of the lantern. Stick your leaves onto the lantern then carefully paint over them with more glue. The smaller pieces can get shifted if you aren’t careful, so keep an eye on them. Continue around the whole lantern.
For the mushroom lantern add the “ground” pieces around the bottom of the lantern. You could do this on the pumpkin lanterns too if you prefer!
Make sure everything is smoothed down and there is an even layer of modpodge/glue over the whole lantern. Allow to dry completely. (This takes several hours.)
Once dry, tie some twine around the top for a handle. Pop in an LED tealight and light up the night!
***NOTE: I used sweet gum leaves for everything because their shape is especially good for mushroom stems and we have several big trees in our yard. You can use any leaves that are the right color and are available.
