Halloween Inspired Decorative Lantern

Posted on 30th October 2019 by Hannah Williams
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For this project you will need:

Mandarin Orange Plain Card 240gsm or a bright colour of your choosing, some good options could be: Dark Violet Plain Card 240gsm or Apple Green Card Plain 240gsm.

Halloween Patterned Paper - 6" x 6" (152 x 152mm) - 24 Sheet

You will also need:

Sharp Craft Knife
Anita’s PVA Tacky Glue 120ml
Stick It! Ultra-clear double-sided tape - 6mm x 5m
Cutting Board/Guillotine
Printer
Scoring Board & Bone Folder
Smoothing/Crease Tool (I use: FOSHIO 3pcs Vinyl Wrapping Squeegees Pro with Felt Edge) This tool is great for craft projects as it limits the chance of damaging your card stock or other materials. The fabric end means you can use it on any material and it won't snag or tear the material.
Electric flameless Tea-light Candles (I used: Electric Fake Candle in Warm Yellow)

Firstly we need to gather all of the following supplies. 1 sheet of the Mandarin Orange Plain Card 240gsm, 2 sheets from the Halloween Patterned Paper - 6" x 6" (152 x 152mm) - 24 Sheets, I chose the design below. Download the template by saving the photo below and print the design onto the Mandarin Orange Card. Depending on your printer and the size it prints out, you will need to measure the windows and cut the Halloween designed paper with an extra bit all the way round to ensure that it fits, my pieces ended up measuring 4.1" x 2.5", but this measurement could be different for you.

Once you have printed your design use a sharp craft knife to cut it out. When you have done this and you have cut the halloween paper pieces we can begin to assemble. Firstly you will need to score lines using your score board and bone folder to create the folds for the lantern. This should be done at the centre point between each window, and on the tab section.

You will then need to crease along the score lines using a smoother, such as the one i listed at the beginning until you have creased all of them and it starts to form the shape of the box.

Next take your four halloween patterned paper rectangles that you cut previously. I chose to stick mine down with the design facing what will be the inside of the box, this will be explained later. Using Anita’s PVA Tacky Glue 120ml apply a thin line all around the edge of your window, shown below, and also apply a few dots on the thinner aspects of the design, such as the tree branches or the animals/pumpkins to ensure that it is fully secured. Once stuck down use your smoother to ensure a firm adhesion. Do the same with your three other rectangles until all are stuck down. The outside of the box will show your paper through the window as white whilst the inside will show the pattern.

Apply a line of double sided tape to the tab ensuring that the white side of the halloween card is visible through the window on the outside. Stick the box together and use your smoother to ensure a secure adhesion.

Now all that is needed is to collect your flameless tea light candles and turn them on, I chose to use two for a better effect, and place them inside your lantern. And marvel at the finished result. Choosing to put the design side of the halloween card on the inside of the lantern will provide a beautiful result. When the candles are lit you will see the spooky design glowing through and when the candles are off it will be a clean white background.