DIY Project: Little Lanterns

These little lanterns have been one of my favorite DIY projects. I had been looking for about a year for something to decorate the top of my buffet. I used to have an older vase with a left over mirror from my apartment days. It was just okay. Nothing to write home about. It wasn’t the right scale for the furniture or the room.

I saw these lanterns at my local Carolina Pottery and couldn’t resist. I liked the style, and thought they’d be just the right size. I bought three, but only used two here (the third has a spot on an end table in another room). They needed a little “pizzazz” so I used some rock that I had on hand and bought some spanish moss for vase filler.

First, I gathered the items for the small lantern. Just about a handful of moss, a small battery powered candle (mine are the 2.25″ x 4″ from Pottery Barn), and the little lantern.

Next I placed the moss in the lantern and created a little “well” in the middle. This gives a good spot for the candle and helps it to stay level in the moss.

Pull up any moss that got pushed down too far and make sure it covers the base of the candle.

Now for the larger lantern…notice an odd craft supply? Yes, that is a toilet paper roll. I just cut a little bit off the end to make it the right height for the amount of rock I had. This will serve as a base for the candle so it will be a more proportionate height for the lantern.

Place the toilet paper roll in first, right in the center of the lantern.

Fill the lantern with rock until it’s even with the top of the toilet paper roll. Now set the candle on top. There should be a handful of rock left over.

Once the candle is in place, put the left over rock around the candle to hide the base (and the toilet paper roll).

Place them wherever you like! The lamp was in our “collection” and just needed a new lamp shade. Now it’s the perfect little grouping of objects.

And there you have it! Two easy DIY lanterns. If moss or rock isn’t your style, just pick something that suites your home. Follow these same steps and you’ll have your own custom lanterns.

{Linking up with Liz Marie / Best of the Nest / Delineate Your Dwelling / Your Homebased Mom}