3 Saint Martin’s Lanterns You Can Make With Your Kids!

Saint Martin’s Day is a celebration that we adults often don’t keep in mind. After all, it’s celebrated in November, before the pre-Christmas rush begins. It is also, despite the singing, a rather quiet, modest celebration compared to the X-Mas commercialism. And that’s exactly what makes Saint Martin so lovely.

If you still need inspiration for DIY lanterns for Saint Martin’s Day, here are three ideas for you!

Lantern #1

On a sheet of clay paper, draw two lines parallel to the long sides of the sheet, about 1 inch from the edge.

Divide the area between the lines with several streaks about half an inch apart from each other.

Now fold the sheet lengthwise and cut it along the lines.

Roll it into a cylinder and staple it tightly at the ends/openings so that it doesn’t unroll.

Pick up a matching sheet of tracing paper, roll it into a cylinder as well, and tuck it into the first cylinder; staple it down so it keeps in place.

On another sheet of tracing paper, draw a circle and another inside the first.

Cut out along the outer circle – cut the disk you have now obtained with several incisions at short intervals up to the inner circle.

Bend the resulting slats upwards – now you have a kind of paper lid, which you put on the lantern cylinder and glue to it.

Cut a long strip out of clay paper and staple it to the lantern as a handle.

Lantern #2

Paint an empty milk carton opaque black.

Now, using a ruler and pencil, draw a rectangle about one inch from the edge on each side of the carton.

Trim out the rectangles with a cutter.

Lay out a large piece of tracing paper on the table and rasp with a cutter or similar shavings of wax crayons in different colors onto the paper.

Fold the paper over once so that the crayon shavings are on the inside, and run a hot iron over them (but put a thin towel or similar underneath first) – the shavings will melt and color the tracing paper.

Cut out rectangles and glue them from the inside into the cut-outs of the milk carton.

Finally, make a handle for the lantern from a piece of cord.

Lantern #3

Shred crepe paper of different colors into snippets.

Brush a canning jar with glue or acrylic medium and glue the snippets on.

Using glue, attach a piece of cord as a handle to the opening of the jar and wrap another piece of cord around it several times to strengthen its hold.

What do you think of our DIY lanterns? Tell us in the FB comments!