Simple Holiday Lanterns

I have a little bit of a Christmas decor obsession. I buy things, I hoard them, I use the many items to assemble more and more decorations every year. So I picked up these adorable little lanterns, knowing I had plenty to decorate them with. These lanterns are mighty cute on their own and are designed to hold a single tea light. But I saw potential. With a large, swinging door on one side, they begged to be filled with pretty things. Lanterns are found in most home decor shops and are quite inexpensive. I bet you have items around your home you can fill these with and if not, either pick up something or go adventuring outdoors and bring some nature into your home.

What You’ll Need

• Lanterns – as many as you like! I chose two – one in each colour that was available
• Filler – bells, pinecones, battery powered lights, fake snow, evergreen sprigs, candy canes, go crazy!
• Ribbon – festive ribbon is easy to come by and you can add your own personal style
• Greenery – my greenery is fake but you can cut a few sprigs from a tree for a festive scent

Fill ‘Er Up

I opted for bells and pinecones for my lanterns. These are store-bought pinecones with a few painted gold for a bit of sparkle. Instead of buying them, take the kids outside and keep them busy. Have the kids select a few handfuls of perfect pinecones and spice it up a little by painting a few your favourite colour.

To decorate the tops, I have these awesome fake evergreen twist ties. Most stores carry them now for attaching things like greenery to your bannister without using string or tape. For more info visit http://www.alliedexperts.com. It was quick and simple to wrap one around the top of the lantern. I dressed up my simple holiday lanterns with some candy canes and pretty red & white ribbon.

Tell us in the comments below how you would decorate your simple holiday lanterns!