Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Tuesday Tutorial: Paper Lantern Ornaments

Want a cute, simple decoration that you can make in minutes? These paper lanterns are perfect for the upcoming holiday season or as an everyday decoration! What a great way to add color to a room or to your holiday table :) Make a bunch and string them together as a garland, or put a bunch in a bowl, or in a hurricane glass in a bathroom or guestroom. You could also mail them (flat, before unfolding them ;)) to a friend as a fun "Merry Christmas" gift with quick instructions on how to unfold them.

I decided to use holiday paper, but was thinking these would also be fun as everyday decorations with leftover scraps of scrapbooking paper or found/vintage paper.

What you'll need:
- Paper - enough to cut 15 strips - ½"x4" (7.5"x4")
- 2 small brads
- Ruler, 1/16" hole punch or pushpin to poke holes, exacto blade or
rotary cutter and a cutting mat
1. Measure out and cut your paper into 15 strips - each strip ½"x4"
2. Punch holes 1/8" from edge on short edge on both ends of paper strips. I used a 1/16" hole punch, but a push pin can be used to poke holes - it might take a little longer to get the brad through.
3. Put a brad in each end of your punched paper strip stack.

(Back)
4. Starting with the strip on the bottom, twist it out to begin to unfold the paper lantern. It might look kind of wonky, but it will get better :)
5. Twist out each strip individually in order from bottom to top of paper strip stack.
6. Arrange to your liking and Voila! A paper lantern ornament!
These would make a great garland - I strung a few together and they looked fabulous!
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49 comments:

  1. jessicaOctober 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM

    love these! I'm thinking about making some as an early Christmas present for some of my family! :)

    BlueHeartBoutique

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  2. Whitney @ Whisker GraphicsOctober 15, 2009 at 3:24 PM

    Beyond darling! I'm going to have to carve out some time to try these. Love them!

    Do you mind if I link and use one of your photos?
    ~peace
    Whitney

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  3. LeLoOctober 16, 2009 at 8:15 AM

    Wow! What a great idea. Thank you so much for this tutorial.

    I made one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21787010@N04/4016767978/

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  4. ChristineOctober 24, 2009 at 6:15 PM

    thanks so much for this!

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  5. The Creative PlaceOctober 29, 2009 at 11:26 AM

    Thanks for all the comments everyone! I'm so glad ya'll like them- they are so much fun, aren't they?! :)

    Thanks again Whitney for linking to my blog!

    Lelo- Love your lantern! So cute!

    Marjorie- please feel free to use a picture if you would like! :)

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  6. AnonymousNovember 19, 2009 at 1:17 PM

    AHHHH! I love these!

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  7. charlie popDecember 15, 2009 at 3:18 PM

    what a bright ideé !
    It's a nice way to play with patterns !

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  8. Ann @ all things paperDecember 21, 2009 at 8:41 PM

    So simple, but very festive!

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  9. SweetBeakerDecember 22, 2009 at 7:41 AM

    nice! thanks for sharing! thought i'd share mine too - http://bit.ly/69RQ3n

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  10. AnonymousDecember 22, 2009 at 4:57 PM

    I just love ideas like this: simple but oh so lovely!

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  11. For Me, It's YouDecember 22, 2009 at 6:25 PM

    I love this!!! I think I am going to make some tonight!

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  12. Wandering KotkaDecember 23, 2009 at 12:29 AM

    Wow! So cute! I'm looking forward to trying this tutorial out this week. Thanks so much for posting this tutorial. :)

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  13. philoJanuary 5, 2010 at 9:28 AM

    hi thanks, this is a great tutorial & fab idea! im going to use this for the coming chinese new year celebrations!! :D

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  14. FloryJanuary 7, 2010 at 1:13 PM

    Hello! Very nice ornaments...I was wondering with what I could replace the 2 clips which catch the bauble...I haven' t seem this kind in Romania...
    Tnx!

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  15. DodaJanuary 11, 2010 at 10:49 AM

    very cool for any time of year. Thanks

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  16. Achintya JainMarch 9, 2010 at 7:29 AM

    Hi,
    It's fabulous work and I just love it. Look forward to more posts embellished with more pearls from the oceans of creativity.

    Achintya Jain
    India
    www.achintyajain.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Achintya JainMarch 9, 2010 at 7:29 AM

    Hi,
    It's fabulous work and I just love it. Look forward to more posts embellished with more pearls from the oceans of creativity.

    Achintya Jain
    India
    www.achintyajain.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Emma @ emmanemhandmadeApril 1, 2010 at 5:13 PM

    those are great! definitely a great ornament to make for spring/summer. Thanks!

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  19. What goes onApril 7, 2010 at 9:08 PM

    These are adorable! I can think of 1000 things that I can use them for! Great idea!

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  20. What goes onApril 7, 2010 at 9:08 PM

    These are adorable! I can think of 1000 things that I can use them for! Great idea!

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  21. JenApril 11, 2010 at 5:48 PM

    these are so simple, but so lovely, I'm definitely going to make some next year

    samuraijen - swap bot

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  22. MunchkinsmamaApril 20, 2010 at 10:13 PM

    Thank you so much for posting this fantastic idea! I will be making these as wedding decorations!

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  23. jackieDecember 10, 2010 at 3:51 PM

    these are darling. i just wish i had the brads at work. i'd start now (yep, it's not too busy!).

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  24. Lowest Unique BidDecember 20, 2010 at 7:54 AM

    Fabulous idea. Thanks a lot for it.

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  25. Penny Auction BiddingJanuary 7, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    Many thanks for such beautiful DIY

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  26. AnonymousMarch 23, 2011 at 1:41 AM

    It's beautiful, can you Plz tell what type of paper you have used like how much gsm a paper should be.

    Thanx for such a beautiful craft , sharing with us.

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  27. MaryamMarch 24, 2011 at 9:59 PM

    Hi, Thanx for such a beautiful idea. Can you Plz tell me that the paper you used is how much thick( like what gsm, 90, 100, 120 ...).

    Cheers

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  28. EmilyMay 21, 2011 at 10:01 PM

    Are you serious, these are really as easy as they look??? I wanted a fun, easy craft to do for my daughter's Asian-themed birthday party and this is it!

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  29. EmilyAugust 18, 2011 at 11:58 PM

    Wanted to let you know that I did make this and it really is as easy at it looks :) I'll send pics of my daughter's birthday party, I'll be making strings of these paper balls for the decor.

    Thanks again for the tutorial!

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  30. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    So cute. Where did you get the brads?

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  31. MicrobioSeptember 25, 2011 at 12:01 PM

    These are so easy to make and make an awesome effect, tks for sharing :)

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  32. lovetartanOctober 16, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    They are absolutely gorgeous - thank you for posting this :)

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  33. AnonymousNovember 22, 2011 at 1:55 AM

    I can't wait to make these. I'm thinking about making them in all different sizes and putting a tiny LED tea light inside. We'll see if it works. : )

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  34. TiaraHelenNovember 24, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    I guess I'm a bit late to this party, but I love these, and had to make one the second I saw it. I have linked back to your post from:

    http://tiarahelen.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-christmassy-is-this.html

    TFS

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  35. Little Stewart FamilyNovember 28, 2011 at 1:21 PM

    They look great in theory, but mine all came out a mess! How do you get them to not bend and rip? And how do you get them spaced out evenly?

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  36. Naomi Jane @ Upcycled CreativelyDecember 5, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    Hi - I love these! I am doing a post soon about Christmas ornaments made from recycled paper/card and would love to link to here, is that ok?

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  37. viewbymomDecember 6, 2011 at 6:54 PM

    Really great tutorial. I followed it to use up the scrap fancy paper I had left over. I didn't have brads, but I used craft wire and it worked fantastically. With the craft wire I was able to create loops to attach charms on the bottom of the ornament. Also used up some old Christmas cards that would have been tossed out as well as the Christmas card box that held the cards they look festive and work incredibly well since the cardstock is sturdy. If you want to see the one I made and the link to a paper shoe tutorial here is the link: http://viewbymom.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-ornament-and-decoration-ideas.html

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  38. Reshma at colorcanopy.blogspot.comDecember 20, 2011 at 10:11 AM

    Hello! Love this tutorial. I have linked your tutorial to my blog post today!

    Happy holidays!

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  39. AnonymousDecember 20, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    So cute and I had a blast making one tonight. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  40. sandrabulleFebruary 22, 2012 at 5:35 AM

    Merci beaucoup, c'est magnifique et vos explications sont claires !

    Sandra

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  41. AnonymousJuly 7, 2012 at 10:59 PM

    These are super cute and am going to try one on a larger scale if it looks just as good they will be part of my wedding decorations and lighting.. I am placing flame less tea lights in them.. :)

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  42. KNMOctober 26, 2012 at 9:30 AM

    These are just fabulous . I was inspired by these to make my own zentangled paper lanterns which I have posted at the link below.

    http://xploreandxpress.blogspot.in/2012/10/zentangle-challenge-92.html

    Thanks for the idea.

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  43. bethanyNovember 8, 2012 at 3:13 PM

    thinking of trying it with strips of a soda can...hmmmm.

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  44. JodieNovember 11, 2012 at 11:08 PM

    Thanks for this! I was thinking of making bigger ones. Would this work if the paper strips are longer?

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  45. AnonymousFebruary 9, 2013 at 12:22 PM

    Fab Chinese New Year decorations! Thank you.

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  46. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2013 at 3:25 AM

    I am grateful for this tutorial! Thank you so much!

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  47. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2014 at 3:32 PM

    Easy to do, but one strip must have been a little bit longer and crinkled. SO, make sure you measure accurately and punch your holes for the brads same distance from the ends. Otherwise, a very cute project!!! TFS

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  48. AnonymousJanuary 30, 2014 at 7:28 AM

    Really sorted my lantern making task with youth group tonight. So cute and do-able and perfect for using up my 'too thick for origami' patterned squares that I bought in error. also tried bigger ones 6inches by 2 cm and they worked too. Fab Fab Fab

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  49. AnonymousFebruary 8, 2014 at 3:58 PM

    hey i tested out making the lanterns with paper not card and it didn't work out too well hopefully will work well with card! LOVE THE IDEA THOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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