Are you on the hunt for cute Diwali craft ideas? I know you are, and I have a super sweet, real easy and absolutely beautiful Diwali craft for you: a DIY paper lantern with a free printable template.
This paper lantern craft is inspired by the traditional Aaakash kandil, or sky lanterns, used as decorations for the Indian holiday Diwali (or Deepavali). I am not Indian, but I love learning about other cultures, and I think holidays are a great way to connect with friends from different origins. Besides, Diwali is such a colorful, bright and uplifting holiday, who wouldn’t want to get a taste of it?
Before we get down to the Diwali craft and create our handmade lantern, let me tell you about the free printable lantern template. It has illustrations from my Diwali clipart set, which is available in my Etsy shop. The clipart set was created for my fellow crafters and designers, who want to make adorable projects for Diwali. You can use the clipart to make decorations, crafts, greeting cards, gift tags, activity pages and a lot more. The graphics come as PNG, SVG and EPS files, and are good for both personal and small commercial use:
Thanks for letting me share this with you, and without further ado, let’s make our paper lantern!
Printable Diwali craft – make a DIY lantern
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure to learn more.
You will need*:
- This free paper lantern template
- White cardstock for printers
- Scissors / craft knife
- Glue stick
- Colorful cellophane sheets
- Tracing paper
- Crepe paper
- String / yarn
- Paper punch (optional)
* Includes Amazon affiliate links
Steps:
1. Print the template and cut out the two parts of the paper lantern.
2. Cut out the windows of the lantern.
3. Glue pieces of colorful cellophane behind the windows.
4. Glue pieces of tracing paper behind the cellophane.
5. Fold the lantern parts along the dashed lines.
6. Apply glue to the glue tabs and stick both parts of the lantern together, as shown in the picture:
7. Close the lantern by gluing the remaining tab to the other edge of the lantern:
8. Cut stripes of colorful crepe paper and glue them around the bottom of the lantern, on the inner side.
9. Punch holes in the top part of the lantern and thread strings for hanging the lantern.
And it’s done! Now all you have to do is hang the lantern, preferably in a spot where it can catch some light. You can also place the lantern over a hanged light bulb, or put a garland with small led lights inside the lantern. No matter how you display it, the paper lantern will add color and cheer to your Diwali celebration.
Liked this printable Diwali craft? Pin this page to Pinterest so everyone can find it!
~ More for the season ~
There is one more shiny holiday coming – Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday of candles and light. If you are up for some festive Hanukkah goodies, here are some for you:
Free printable Hanukkah coloring pages:
Hanukkah craft – DIY dreidel plush:
Printable Hanukkah cards to color:
* All the free printables in my website are for personal, non-commercial use only. Kindly refrain from sending them directly to others. Instead, feel free to share the link to the relevant post. Thanks!
