Upcycled Leaf Lantern
Setting up fall decorations by the front door reminded me about the change of seasons. Besides the warmer temperatures beginning to subside, the time changes as well. The days are shorter and it gets darker sooner. Not only does this fall leaf lantern add a nice little touch to the décor, but it also lightens the entryway. Not only is this project not very time consuming, but it is easy and you may have a lot of the supplies already around your home.
Supplies
- Oatmeal container (tall, circular shape)
- Wire or pipe cleaners
- Scissors
- Tape
- Construction paper
- Wax paper
- Fall Leaves (outside leaves or we used wax leaves from a craft store)
- Iron board and Iron
- Hole Punch
- Tea Lights
Instructions
We taped a piece of construction paper to go around the oatmeal container-something just to provide a nice, Fall background color. Turn iron on.
Layout a piece of wax paper. Place leaves on top of the paper and follow with an additional piece of wax paper on top of that (two pieces of wax paper total).
Place the heated iron on top of the wax paper, over the leaves. It should weld the leaves and paper together, keeping the leaves in place. Trim the wax paper to place and tape over the oatmeal container.
If you choose, cut a piece of construction paper to make a border at the top or bottom (or both) of your container.
Use the hole punch to make a hole on each side of the lantern.
Use either wire or a pipe cleaner to make the handle.
Add tea light(s) inside the container, place as desired. We just happened to love the touch it provided to our front door area as we setup for Fall!
With this craft making me think of the different seasons, it was a good time to discuss them (the Fall one in particular) with my child. What does he think of when Fall comes to mind?
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Photographs and content by: Heather Kucenski