Paper lanterns are one of our favorite things to design. They make such beautiful décor for your home, a party, or a wedding. And they’re really easy to craft! You can always create lanterns for certain holidays, seasons, and events. Or you can make some with a classic design that works year-round, like these DIY paper garden lanterns.

Light the Way

For these DIY paper garden lanterns, I used a frosted text weight paper and translucent vellum for the windows. While these lanterns are pretty as is, you can also place some battery-operated tea lights inside of them. This is a great way to add a little soft glow and cozy vibe to your room or table setting. You can see our picture below for an example!

If you want to make these paper garden lanterns, you can find this project in our book, Cutting Machine Crafts. There are 50 projects total in the book plus 60 SVG templates to make it easier for you to craft a variety of paper projects. You can also browse the DIY lanterns on our site if you’re a member and want some other ideas!

Another fun thing I like to do when decorating with paper lanterns is to use some of my other paper creations as décor. So for an outdoor party, I might add some of my paper plants to the table, for example. And I might add some paper flowers too. There so many ways to use (and re-use!) your creations, which is one of the best things about a DIY project.

Get Crafty with Us

For more DIY ideas, browse our projects here on the site and be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. We also have video tutorials to help you make paper flowers and plants, decorate with DIY décor, and more. To start crafting with us, sign up for a Lia Griffith membership.

Want to be featured on our social media pages? Remember to use #MadeWithLia when sharing photos of your DIY projects. We can’t wait to see what you create! ~ Lia & team