Paper House Lantern // DIY

The wonderful chilly weather lately has got me eagerly anticipating Christmas. And snow. Oh, snow! Autumn and winter are by far my favorite seasons.

One splendid aspect of these seasons is decorating; lately my mind has been overflowing with ideas for Christmas. I am particularly fond of warm lights, and the other day I had the idea to make this paper house lantern. It is fairly basic, and oh so cosy. Here is how to make your own...

note: you actually won't need washi tape - you will need clear tape alone.

Step One //

Cut out one 4 x 11 inch strip of paper.

Step Two //

Measure a square that is 4 x 4 inches at the bottom of the strip, and draw a line indicating where it begins.

Step Three //

Fold the strip along the line, creating a letter L shape.

Step Four //

Cut out three strips of paper, all measuring 4 x 7 inches.

Step Five //

Draw lines on a strip of paper, divided into a 4 x 4 grid.

Step Six //

Using the grid as an outline, cut four windows with a utility knife.

Step Seven //

Repeat steps 5-6 on each strip of paper, including the L shaped piece.

Step Eight //

Use clear  tape to attach strips of wax paper to the backs of each piece of paper (the sides with grids).

Step Nine //

Connect each part with clear tape, and begin to tape the walls to the base of the L shaped strip.

Step Ten //

Continue to tape the walls down until you have a house without a roof.

Step Eleven //

Cut out two 4 x 4 strips and one 4 x 8 strip of paper.

Step Twelve //

Snip one of the squares into two halves.

Step Thirteen //

Cut a circle-shaped window on one of the triangles, and tape a square of wax paper to the back.

Step Fourteen //

Tape the triangles to each side of the square.

Step Fifteen //

Fold the triangles up and tape the 4 x 8 strip to the top, creating a roof.

Final Step //

Place a handful of LED lights (not  real tea lights, that is a fire hazard) inside the house, and place the roof on top.

Ta-da! Your little house lantern will bring much holiday warmth to any room, and will definitely increase the anticipation of Christmas.

Have a wonderful day!