The Halloween luminaries on this list of easy Halloween lantern ideas are easy DIY Halloween Decorations for Halloween parties and on Halloween night. (First published September 20, 2023; this post is updated and republished to improve the content.)
Add to your DIY Halloween decor with this list of Halloween lantern-making ideas. This collection of Halloween lantern crafts is filled with cool ideas for glowing homemade Halloween decorations that will impress your friends and neighbors!
Learn how to make a Halloween lantern using a glass jar or several other types of recycled items with the list of DIY Halloween luminaries below. Real pumpkins are the most classic Halloween Jack O’ Lantern luminaries. However, this list of easy Halloween lantern crafts includes everything but real pumpkin Jack O’ Lanterns.
Instead, use recycled materials to make several different Halloween lantern DIY projects. Try making any of these Halloween lantern ideas with your kids this Halloween. Children love to help make Halloween crafts and decorate with cool homemade Halloween decoration ideas. And, with recycled materials as the primary craft supply, you can’t go wrong!
If you are looking for classic Jack 0′ lantern pumpkin carving ideas, pop over to look at fall nature crafts. We have included a list of our favorite pumpkin Halloween Jack O’ Lantern luminaries that kids and adults can make. You might also enjoy this list of Halloween Art Projects.
Related: Halloween Pumpkin Salt Painting
Related: Turkey Leaf Lanterns Thanksgiving Craft
Cool Halloween Lantern DIY Decoration Ideas
Kids will love this collection of recycled Halloween lantern-making crafts and ideas! It includes Halloween lantern craft ideas made with several types of recycled materials: mason jars, tin cans, paper bags, milk jugs, Halloween buckets, Chinese paper lanterns, cups, and more!
Whether you like friendly or spooky DIY Halloween Decorations–you will find several festive Halloween DIY lantern ideas you can make with children at home or in the classroom. If you are not feeling crafty but love the look of these Halloween luminaries, we have also provided some ready-made Halloween luminary options!
Cool Halloween decoration ideas, like these Halloween lanterns and luminaries on the list below, emit a goregous subtle glow when used as centerpieces, or placed on mantles, windowsills, or doorsteps for Halloween parties and nights.
**Click on the creator’s name for each Halloween lantern to see the full tutorial for each Halloween lantern DIY project.**
Related: 13 Healthy Treats and Fun Alternatives for Halloween
Halloween Luminaries and Halloween Lantern Craft Ideas for Kids and Adults
This round-up of Halloween DIY lanterns contains many fun DIY Halloween decorations that can impress your friends and neighbors. With spooktacular DIY Halloween decoration ideas like these, making Halloween lanterns is a fun craft project for kids and adults.
Try these fun Halloween luminary DIY ideas or find inspiration to create your own Halloween lantern craft.
Most of these Halloween Lantern craft ideas can be made with materials from your recycle bin. So upcycle your milk jugs, coffee cans, paper bags, mason jars, cups, and bottles, and make homemade Halloween decorations.
Making recycled Halloween luminaries is a fun way to decorate for Halloween. Try making homemade Halloween decorations with your children today!
1. Enchanting Halloween Lanterns | Adventure in a Box
I love these enchanting Halloween lanterns… aren’t they gorgeous!? Click on the link above to learn how to make these amazing luminaries. Or you can purchase these ready-made Halloween lanterns with spooky silhouettes HERE.
2. Painted Mason Jar Halloween Luminaries | Crafts by Amanda
I love the different colors and fun hand-drawn faces on these painted Halloween mason jar lanterns. There are many fun ways to decorate a Halloween lantern using mason jars and paint with this simple technique. Or, buy another colorful Halloween lantern HERE.
More Recyeld Jar Halloween luminaries:
- Or make these DIY Jack O’ Lantern tea lights by Moms and Crafters. These Halloween lantern crafts use permanent markers instead o
f paint.
f paint.3. Halloween Mason Jar Lanterns with Tissue Paper | My Crafty Spot
DIY Halloween mason jar lanterns made with tissue paper are equally awesome. This version of tissue paper Halloween lanterns won my heart. In it, you will find Jack O’Lanterns made with different colors and shapes to create different Halloween-themed characters with fun designs. Make the fun Halloween lantern DIY shown in the photograph, or try the other amazing tissue paper lantern craft tutorials on the list below.
Other spooktacular tissue paper Halloween luminaries:
- Easy Halloween Lanterns | Red Ted Art
- Jack o’ Lantern Nightlight Jars | Fireflies and Mudpies (shown in the photo collage at the bottom of this post)
4. Halloween Mummy Jars | All You
I have seen mummy jar lanterns and luminaries made several different ways. My favorite is the easy mummy lantern craft made with mason jars
, Mod Podge
, gauze, and gloogly eyes by Nora Nalle in the original photograph below.
5. Jam or Mason Jar Spider Web Lanterns | Mum in the Madhouse
Can you guess the material these are made with to create the spooktacular effect of these fabulous spider web Halloween lanterns? Click on the link above to find out! Here are a few you can use to make Halloween spider web lanterns and luminaries HERE! You may also like the inflatable solar light Halloween lanterns you can buy HERE.
Related: Giant DIY Spider Web Halloween Decoration
6. DIY Paper Lanterns for Halloween Decorations | Lia Griffith
Halloween paper lanterns like these DIY paper luminaries look amazing when lit up on Halloween night. A few more super fun pre-made lanterns similar to these can be found HERE and HERE.
More Glowing Halloween DIY Lanterns
7. Halloween Tin Can Luminaries | Jolly Mom
I love the simple look of this collection of recycled coffee can Halloween luminaries by Jolly Mom. You can punch any words you like or punch classic Halloween designs into them and paint them any color you choose. I found some slightly different ready-made tin can lantern options you might like HERE.
8. Pottery Barn Knock-Off Hanging Pumpkin Lanterns | Making Lemonade
Hanging Chinese paper lantern Halloween luminaries look amazing, and there are many fun ways to make Halloween paper lanterns like these. You can even find some cute ready-made Halloween paper lanterns HERE and HERE.
I also found some super cool orange lanterns in various sizes (and colors) that you can use to make your own Halloween lantern DIY HERE.
Hanging Witch Hat Lanterns and Luminaries
Here’s Another different but equally awesome hanging Halloween lantern DIY idea you can make at home or in the classroom. These floating witch hat luminaries by Polkadot Chair are a super creative alternative to jack o’ lantern hanging paper lanterns! Aren’t they awesome?!
Hang any of these cool ideas around your house to decorate for Halloween. Homemade Halloween decorations and fun Halloween lantern crafts look spooktacular inside and outside!
9. Halloween Paper Bag Luminaries
There are lots of ways to make paper bag lanterns for Halloween. The Unoriginal Mom has included a Halloween paper bag luminaries template ideas you can use to make paper bag Halloween lanterns.
You can also use a single-hole punch
to punch holes in orange paper bags
or plain brown paper bags
to write words and make designs. Or use a spider, bat, or pumpkin paper punch
! To make your own DIY Halloween luminary bags!
For more DIY Halloween paper bag luminary ideas, look at the paper bag lantern ideas you can find HERE, HERE, and HERE.
And don’t forget the flameless tea light candles!
10. Milk Jug Halloween DIY Lanterns “Spirit Jugs” | Eighteen 25
Recycled spirit jugs are super easy to make… So start saving your milk jugs now!
A strand of Christmas lights the Halloween jug luminaries pictured. Still, I have also seen this type of Halloween luminary made with glow sticks
or glow bracelets
placed inside the glowing ghost lanterns, a bit of color. Flameless candles
also work well in milk jug lanterns.
Glow sticks of all kinds
also make great non-candy Halloween treats! For more candy alternatives for Halloween, click on the link!
More Milk Jug Halloween Lanterns:
- Quick, Inexpensive DIY Halloween Ghost Luminaries | Third Stop on the Right
11. Halloween Bucket Jack O’ Lantern Ideas
Use Jack O’ Lantern Halloween buckets
to make any of these cool Halloween Luminary ideas.
- Make a glowing plastic Jack 0′ lantern totem pole with the fun DIY Halloween luminary tutorial on Scratch and Stitch.
- Cut out the eyes and mouth of Jack 0′ lantern Halloween buckets to make DIY light-up Halloween pumpkins. Find the tutorial on Girl, Just DIY!
- Use the DIY Halloween luminary craft tutorial on Twitchetts to create a colorful, light-up Halloween totem pole with a weathered look.
- Make this easy Jack o’ lantern porch light with the fun DIY Halloween lantern tutorial by Happiness is Homemade.
- Use Jack o’ lantern Halloween buckets to make the easy glowing pumpkin lantern DIY found on Making Lemonade.
12. Recycled Cup Lanterns and Halloween Luminaries
Use recycled plastic or paper cups to try these cool Halloween Lantern DIY ideas.
- Make paper cup Jack’O’Lantern pumpkins that will glow in the dark on Halloween night. They have cute, glowing noses and are easy to make. Find this easy Halloween lantern DIY tutorial on Non-Toy Gifts.
- And, if you are looking for an easy and quick Halloween lantern craft, your kids will love these glowing jack-o-lanterns that you can make with plastic cups! To make this easy Halloween luminary DIY, visit Buggy and Buddy for directions to make these cute cup lanterns.
Related: The Best Halloween Art Projects for Kids
13. Halloween Lanterns made with recycled bottles
My daughter and I made a super cool Pumpkin and an awesome Ghost Halloween sensory bottle that makes fun luminary and lantern Halloween decorations. Click on the links for the tutorials!
The Best Halloween Lanterns DIY
This round-up of Halloween DIY lanterns contains lots of festive decorations to impress your friends and neighbors. Making cool Halloween lanterns is fun and easy with DIY Halloween decorations.
Try these fun Halloween luminary DIY ideas, or find inspiration to create your own spooky decor!
Most of these Halloween Lantern craft ideas can be made with materials from your recycle bin. So, upcycle your milk jugs, coffee cans, paper bags, mason jars, cups, and bottles, and make any cool ideas for homemade Halloween decorations on the list above.
Halloween luminaries are a fun way to decorate your doorstep and windowsills for parties and Halloween nights. Most of them are upcycled crafts that both kids and adults can make.
For more fall luminaries, check out our Turkey Leaf Lanterns and Heart Leaf Lanterns!
You may also like this collection of Halloween Art Projects Kids LOVE!
Don’t forget to pop over to have a look at our fall bucket list filled with fun fall activities for kids!
More DIY Halloween Decoration Ideas
- Tissue Paper Ghost Craft
- DIY Spider Egg Halloween Decoration
- Giant Stick Spiderweb Halloween Decoration
More DIY Mason Jar Lantern Ideas
If You Like Halloween Lanterns DIY, Then You May Also Like
- 13 Healthy Treats and Fun Alternatives for Halloween
- Top 10 Fall Nature Crafts (Contains pumpkin and jack o’ lantern carving ideas)
- Glow in the Dark Ringer Game Sensory Bottle
- Halloween Pumpkin Salt Painting
- Best Halloween Art Projects
Love these!I’m definitely making some this year, I can’t decide which one to try first. Thanks for sharing!
I can’t decide which one to try first either! So many fun ideas!
These are beautiful! I can’t believe even the ones made with a paper bag emit such a lovely light!
So glad you like them! I can’t wait to make a few myself 😉
I love DIYing lanterns. They’re so much fun and an awesome decor piece.
I do too Kelly! Making them can be as therapeutic as their gentle subtle glow, even when it is a bit spooky!