Paper Lanterns From Furniture Catalogs

by Lin

A few weeks ago, we received what I thought were multiple copies of telephone books delivered to our door. Turns out, it was a home furnishings giant that went full on cray cray with their catalogs. “WTF?” I thought to myself. “Do something about it!” my alter ego responded.

paper lanterns from furniture catalogs, crafts, how to, repurposing upcycling

So I DIY’d.

I first used a paper cutter to cut 1 inch strips of the catalog’s front page (one of the 8 catalogs).

Another easy method is to cut lines within a full sheet. Start by drawing a line 1 inch in from each edge of the sheet (do it on the opposite side), then draw lines about 1/2 inch apart.

I cut 2 pieces of equal (well, almost) size from a toilet roll.

I then glued the strips to each piece.

After the glue dried completely, I compressed the lantern to form a bubble shape.

Ta dah! It takes under an hour if you count drying time for the glue. The actual labor takes about 15 minutes.

Light ’em up!

Obviously, you can use any type of paper to do this. I typically have a preference for bright colors, but I couldn’t NOT use what was sitting in my entryway begging for a transformation.

Catalog faith almost restored.

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3 of 4 questions

Aru7326434 on Feb 01, 2017
Are you using a tea candle for the light? I think this is great idea and so easy. Thank you. Alice

1
Kay on Jan 26, 2018

You could allso paint then. It would't necessarily, take any more time! A battery operated tea light, inside would look great to! What about, using paper towle rolls? They are slightly longer, so the lanterns might look good hanging up? I love them. Enjoy! Kay Adelaide Australia

1
Valerie on Mar 25, 2022

How do the lanters not fall over or not fall back to itself?

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2 of 73 comments

Betty on Mar 25, 2020

I completely forgot about making paper lanterns. We used to do this every summer at the recreation center. We used all kinds of different paper and library paste. I can still smell it. i have to do this with my granddaughter

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Joan on Mar 25, 2020

I hit "Go" for the blog post and received this screen: The premium domain name
hotforhouses.com
is available for sale!

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