Make a Wish … Make Dandelion Paper Lanterns

Is it possible not to be enchanted by those Dandelions?

Ever since I shared the first 2 sets of DIY paper lanterns, I have been think of how to make them even easier and more accessible. To be honest, it’s not that easy to find the perfect size drinking glasses…

Today I am excited to share a new solution – see how we can make these magical Dandelion paper lanterns with ….

up-cycled plastic water bottles!

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( Some of the helpful resources are affiliate links. Full disclosure here. )

Materials and tools:

clear plastic water bottles from your recycle bin! Those with grooves are fine, they don’t show when lit.

white paper : I used this great quality index card stock, which worked beautifully to get more of the dimensional effect. This paper is the perfect weight, not too flimsy like text paper, not too heavy yet hold its shape nicely.

LED candles or these LED Warm White String Lights which are very bright, and are safer than real candles!

you can use a Silhouette Portrait or Cameo, but it’s easy enough to cut with an X-acto knife. And free templates which you can download at the end

clear Scotch tape

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First we will remove the labels and cut the clear plastic bottle to about 8″ tall. I use 1 Litre and 1.5 Liter bottles here. They will provide structures for our paper lanterns.

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The paper cutting process is the same as the first paper flower lantern tutorial.

After cutting them by hand or on your Silhouette Portrait or Cameo, fold those petals up so the blossoms become three dimensional. When a pattern gets a little more intricate, use a spatula or butter knife to help lift them off the cutting mat.

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Tape the paper to the outside of the plastic bottle.

Now light the LED candles or LED Warm White String Lights, and drop them into the bottles inside our paper lanterns .

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Here are the free designs of these DIY paper lanterns for you to download!

If you have trouble downloading, it might be a browser issue, please ask friends to download and email to you! It works , lots of downloads already!