Gorgeous Glowing Halloween Lantern Ideas

Halloween luminaries, like this round-up of easy Halloween lantern ideas, make easy DIY Halloween Decorations for Halloween parties and on Halloween night. This collection of Halloween lantern crafts is filled with cool ideas for homemade Halloween decorations that will impress your friends and neighbors!

Learn how to make a gorgeous glowing Halloween lantern, to add to your DIY Halloween decor, with this collection of Halloween lantern making ideas.

Try making any of these Halloween lantern ideas with your kids this Halloween. Children love to help make Halloween crafts and decorate for Halloween with cool homemade Halloween decoration ideas like these!

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.

If you are looking for classic Jack 0′ lantern pumpkin carving ideas, pop over to have a look at fall nature crafts. In it, we have included a list of our favorite pumpkin Halloween Jack o’ lantern luminaries that kids and adults can make.

In this article, we have listed the best Halloween lantern DIY projects that feature recycled containers of all kinds. This round-up of Halloween lantern craft ideas are made with mason jars, tin cans, paper bags, milk jugs, Halloween buckets, Chinese paper lanterns, cups, and more!

Cool Halloween Lantern DIY Decoration Ideas

Kids will love this collection of Halloween lantern making ideas!

Cool Halloween decoration ideas, like these Halloween lanterns and luminaries, emit a gorgeous subtle glow when used as centerpieces, on mantles, in windows, or on doorsteps for Halloween parties and on Halloween night.

Some of these cool ideas for homemade Halloween decorations and fun Halloween lantern crafts can even be hung up inside or outside!

Whether you like friendly or spooky DIY Halloween Decorations… you will find lots of fun Halloween DIY lantern ideas that you can make with your children below.

If you are not feeling crafty but love the look of these Halloween luminaries, we have also provided some ready-made Halloween luminary options!

**Click on the name of the creator for each Halloween lantern to see the full tutorial for each Halloween lantern DIY project.**

Halloween Luminaries and Halloween Lantern Craft Ideas for Kids and Adults

This round-up of Halloween DIY lanterns contains a bunch of 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 both kids and adults.

Try any of these fun Halloween luminaries 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. Upcycle your milk jugs, coffee cans, paper bags, mason jars, cups and bottles and to make any of these cool ideas for homemade Halloween decorations.

Making recycled Halloween luminaries is a fun way to decorate for Halloween. Try making any of these cool ideas for homemade Halloween decorations with your kids today!

1. Enchanting Halloween Lanterns | Adventure in a Box

I am in love with these enchanting Halloween lanterns… aren’t they gorgeous!? Click on the link above to learn how to make these amazing luminaries.

2. Painted Mason Jar Halloween Luminaries | Crafts by Amanda

I love all of the different colors and fun hand-drawn faces on these painted Halloween mason jar lanterns. There are so many fun ways to decorate a Halloween lantern using mason jars and paint with this simple technique.

Or you can purchase a similar ready-made Halloween lantern HERE.

More Halloween luminaries like these:

DIY Jack O Lantern Tea Lights | Moms and Crafters instead of paint this craft uses permanent markers.

3. Halloween Mason Jar Lanterns with Tissue Paper | My Crafty Spot

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 in different colors and shapes with fun designs.

Make this fun Halloween lantern DIY, or try any of the other amazing tissue paper Halloween lanterns listed 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 the page)

4. Halloween Mummy Jars | All You

I have seen these mummy jars done in many ways but appreciate the easy straightforward tutorial using mason jars, Mod Podge and gauze by Nora Nalle.

5. Jam or Mason Jar Spider Web Lanterns | Mum in the Madhouse

Can you guess what material was used to create the spooktacular effect of these awesome spider web Halloween lanterns?

Click on the link above to find out! And, find some that you can use HERE!

You may also like the inflatable solar light Halloween lanterns that you can purchase HERE.

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.

Other 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. You can punch any words that 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 Pumpkin Lanterns | Making Lemonade

Hanging Chinese paper lantern Halloween luminaries look amazing, and, there are lots of 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 that are made to look more like pumpkins that you can use to make your own Halloween lantern DIY HERE. Or, use the plain orange Chinese paper lanterns found HERE.

Another different, but equally awesome, hanging Halloween lantern DIY idea:

These floating witch hat luminaries by Polkadot Chair are a super creative alternative to jack o’ lantern hanging paper lanterns! Aren’t they awesome?!

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 that you can use for making 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 paper punch or pumpkin paper punch! to make your own DIY Halloween luminary bags!

For more DIY Halloween paper bag luminary ideas, have a look at the paper bag lantern ideas that you can find HERE, HERE and HERE.

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… Start saving your milk jugs now!

The Halloween jug luminaries pictured are lit by a strand of Christmas lights, but I have also seen this type of Halloween luminary made with glow sticks or glow bracelets placed inside to the glowing ghost lanterns a bit of color. Flameless candles also work really well in milk jug lanterns.

Glow sticks of all kinds also make a 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 found 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 tutorial found 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 any of the cool Halloween Lantern DIY ideas listed below.

Make paper cup Jack’O’Lantern pumpkins that will glow in the dark on Halloween night. They have a cute, glowing nose, and are really easy to make. Find this easy Halloween lantern DIY tutorial on Non-Toy Gifts.
If you are you 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 pop over to Buggy and Buddy for the directions.

13. Halloween Lanterns made with recycled bottles

My daughter and I made a super cool Pumpkin and an awesome Ghost Halloween sensory bottle that make 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 fun DIY Halloween decorations that will impress your friends and neighbors. Making cool Halloween lanterns is fun and easy with DIY Halloween decorations like these.

Try any of these fun Halloween luminaries DIY ideas or find inspiration to create your own!

Halloween luminaries are a fun way to decorate your doorstep and windowsills for parties and Halloween night. Most of them are upcycled crafts that both kids and adults can make.

For more fall luminaries, be sure you check out our Turkey Leaf Lanterns and our 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

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

The One Essential Tool You Need To Keep You and the Kids Happy!

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Nell Regan M.A.

Nell has over 20 years of experience working with children and is the founder of Rhythms of Play. She believes in the power of the imagination, learning through play, making this world a greener place to live, and getting outside in all seasons! Learn more…

Comments

Laura @ Sunny Day Family says
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Love these!I’m definitely making some this year, I can’t decide which one to try first. Thanks for sharing!
- nell says
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  I can’t decide which one to try first either! So many fun ideas!
Emma says
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These are beautiful! I can’t believe even the ones made with a paper bag emit such a lovely light!
- nell says
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  So glad you like them! I can’t wait to make a few myself 😉
Kelly Mahan says
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I love DIYing lanterns. They’re so much fun and an awesome decor piece.
- nell says
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  I do too Kelly! Making them can be as therapeutic as their gentle subtle glow, even when it is a bit spooky!

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