This DIY Halloween lantern is an easy way to turn a simple glass lantern into glowing Halloween decor using printable silhouettes and battery-operated lights. It looks wonderfully atmospheric once the room gets dark, but the actual craft is simple enough to complete without any complicated cutting, painting or specialist equipment.
The printable designs include a witch, black cat, ghost, bats and jack-o’-lantern faces, so you can mix the panels to create your own combination. It’s a lovely choice when you’re looking for easy Halloween crafts that still feel decorative enough to display on a mantel, shelf or Halloween party table.
I originally made mine using an IKEA ROTERA lantern, but you can adapt the same idea for almost any lantern with accessible glass panels…. and if you need differnt size templates just email me at hello@themummyfront.com and i’ll be happy to make you your own size templates!
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Let the Light Source Choose the Paper
Before printing your designs, think about the kind of glow you want the lantern to create.
Regular white printer paper produces strong, easy-to-see silhouettes and is the simplest option for this project. Lightweight vellum or tracing paper allows more light through, creating a softer and slightly mistier effect.
Whichever paper you choose, only use cool-touch, battery-operated lights inside the lantern. The paper panels make this craft completely unsuitable for real candles or any other open flame.
Gather Your Halloween Lantern Supplies
You’ll need:
- A lantern with glass panels
- The free Halloween lantern printables (linked below)
- White printer paper, vellum or tracing paper
- A printer
- Scissors or a craft knife
- A ruler
- A pencil
- Clear tape or removable adhesive dots
- Battery-operated LED tea lights, fairy lights or mini light-up balls
- Optional metallic or glow-in-the-dark star stickers
You don’t need to use a particular lantern for this project. Look for one with flat glass panels that you can easily reach from the inside, as this makes it much simpler to position and secure the printable designs.
Download the Free Halloween Lantern Printables
The printable sheet contains six different Halloween designs that you can arrange around your lantern:
- Flying bats
- A black cat
- A ghost
- Two jack-o’-lantern faces
- A witch stirring her cauldron
You can use the complete collection or repeat your favourite designs around the lantern. A mix of detailed illustrations and simpler faces works particularly well because every side looks slightly different as you turn it.
Grab your lantern templates here.
Measure Your Lantern Before Printing
To get the size you need, measure the visible height and width of one glass panel. The metal frame will cover the outer edges, so the printable needs to fit comfortably inside the area that can actually be seen.
Check more than one panel before resizing the designs. Lantern doors and side panels aren’t always identical, even when they look the same at first glance.
The templates come in 1 x 2 inches, 2 x 5 inches and 3.5 x 5 inches but I will happily customize the templates to fit your required size… or you can enlarge or reduce them through your printer settings to suit your lantern. Print one test design first and hold it behind the glass before printing the complete sheet.
Make Your DIY Halloween Lantern
1. Clean the Glass
Wipe the inside of each glass panel to remove dust, fingerprints and any residue. This gives the paper a cleaner surface to sit against and prevents marks from becoming more noticeable once the lantern is illuminated.
Allow the glass to dry fully before adding the printable designs.
2. Print Your Halloween Designs
Print the designs on regular white paper for a bold, graphic look or choose vellum for a softer glow.
Use a reasonably high-quality print setting so that the black silhouettes look solid rather than faded. You can also print individual pages in different sizes if some sections of your lantern are larger than others.
3. Cut Out the Printable Panels
Cut around the rectangular edge of each design. There’s no need to cut out every bat, whisker or tiny detail because the silhouettes are already part of the printed illustration.
A paper trimmer will create especially straight edges, but ordinary scissors work perfectly well for this easy Halloween craft.
4. Test the Position of Each Design
Place the designs behind the glass without securing them first. Check that the main part of each picture is visible and that important details aren’t hidden behind the metal frame.
This is also a good opportunity to decide which designs you want beside one another. I like placing a detailed panel, such as the witch or cat, next to one of the simpler ghost or pumpkin faces so the lantern doesn’t look too busy.
5. Secure the Designs Inside the Lantern
Attach each printable to the inside of the glass using small pieces of clear tape or removable adhesive dots.
Keep the adhesive close to the edges so it stays hidden behind the lantern frame. Smooth the paper gently against the glass, but don’t worry about making it completely perfect. A small amount of texture often makes the light look softer and more atmospheric.
6. Add Battery-Operated Lights
Place battery-operated LED tea lights, fairy lights or mini light-up balls inside the lantern.
Several small lights usually create a more even glow than one bright light placed in the centre. Spread them around the base and then switch off the room lights to check how every panel looks.
7. Finish With a Few Decorative Details
Metallic or glow-in-the-dark star stickers are an easy way to decorate the top of a plain lantern and help bring the whole design together.
You could also tie black ribbon, velvet trim or a small piece of gauze around the handle. Keep any fabric or paper embellishments away from the battery compartment and make sure the lantern can still be opened easily.
Make the Lantern Glow More Evenly
If one side of your lantern looks much brighter than the others, the problem is usually the position of the lights rather than the printable.
Try placing the lights closer to the outer edges or winding a short strand of fairy lights around a clear jar inside the lantern. The jar keeps the lights slightly raised and spreads the glow across more of the paper panels.
Coloured LEDs can completely change the finished effect too. Green light gives the witch and ghost panels a wonderfully eerie look, while pink, purple or orange creates brighter Halloween lantern decor that feels playful rather than frightening.
Style Your Halloween Lantern Decor
Place the finished lantern on a mantel or console table alongside pumpkins in a mixture of sizes. Varying the height of the surrounding decorations will make the display feel layered without needing dozens of separate items.
For a Halloween party, use it as the centrepiece of a drinks or treat station. Repeat the colour of the LEDs in nearby napkins, sweets or fairy lights so the display looks intentional.
The lantern would also look lovely beside the front door in a sheltered spot, but only place it outdoors if the lantern and battery-operated lights are suitable for outdoor use. The printed paper panels must be protected from rain and damp conditions.
Important Halloween Lantern Safety Notes
Never use a real candle, tealight or open flame inside this lantern. Paper and vellum can catch fire, even when they appear to be a safe distance from the flame.
Only use cool-touch, battery-operated LED lights and switch them off when the lantern isn’t being used. Keep the battery compartment accessible and check that none of the paper panels are interfering with the lantern door or fastening.
Children can help choose, cut and arrange the designs, but an adult should handle any craft knife and check the finished lantern before the lights are added.
DIY Halloween Lantern FAQs
Can I use a different lantern?
Yes. You can adapt this tutorial for most decorative lanterns with flat glass panels. Measure the visible area carefully and resize the printables before cutting them out.
Which paper works best for the printable designs?
Standard white printer paper is easiest to use and creates strong silhouettes. Vellum or tracing paper allows more light through and gives the lantern a softer glow.
Can I use a real candle?
No. Never use a real candle or any open flame with these paper designs. Use battery-operated LED lights only.
How can I make the pictures appear brighter?
Use fresh batteries and position several small LEDs close to the outer edges of the lantern. Pale paper will usually allow more light through than thick card.
Can I glue the designs directly to the glass?
You can, but clear tape or removable adhesive dots make it much easier to take the designs out after Halloween. Permanent glue may also leave marks on the glass.
Can this Halloween lantern be displayed outside?
Only place it in a dry, sheltered area unless every part of the lantern and lighting is specifically designed for outdoor use. The paper designs should never be exposed to rain.
Before You Go...
Before You Go...
This DIY Halloween lantern proves that Halloween crafts for adults don’t need to be complicated to make an impact. Once you’ve printed and trimmed the panels, the lantern comes together quickly, and the combination of glowing colours and spooky silhouettes makes it feel far more detailed than it really is.
Choose your favourite printable designs, experiment with different coloured lights and make the lantern suit the rest of your Halloween decor. Then tuck the paper panels away safely at the end of the season so you can bring them back out next year.
Don’t forget to save the project to Pinterest, and have a look through the other easy Halloween crafts on The Mummy Front for more ideas to make your home feel wonderfully spooky.
Easy DIY Halloween Lantern (In Less Than 10 Minutes!!)
Make this show-stopping DIY Halloween Lantern in less than 10 minutes... Perfect Halloween Decor!
Materials
- Ikea Rotera Lantern
- Mini Light Up Balls or Glowsticks
- Printable (Available from this post)
- Glue
Tools
- Scissors
Instructions
- Download and print your FREE printable templates right here.
- Carefully cut out your templates.
- Use a small amount of glue along the top and bottom edges of your templates
- Secure your templates inside the glass windows of your Ikea Rotera lantern.
- Place light up balls (Glowsticks & battery operated fairy lights will work too) inside your lantern and close the door.
- Hang your spooky lantern in your home ready for your Halloween celebrations!
Notes
* Be extremely cautious when using mini light-up balls as these are tiny and pose a choking risk to children.
* Got a lantern in a different size? No problem! Send me a message here with the dimensions you need and I'll fix them up for you
* This project can experience rain damage due to the vent holes in the top of the lantern... You could either secure your templates in a plastic coating (think tape or sticky-backed plastic) or seal up the holes with some clear tape.
* Please don't use a real flame inside this lantern while you have the paper templates inside