Lanterns bats

Halloween is just around the corner and there's hardly anything better than home-made decorations to add some magic to the atmosphere. Why not make an original bat lantern? These are easy to make and provide atmospheric lighting on a spooky evening. Whether for the home, the front garden or the lantern walk - the bat lantern is a real eye-catcher and can be customised. Let your creativity run wild and bring a little magic to the dark autumn nights.

Cut out the templates
Start by cutting out the templates for the angel wings, paws and ears twice from photo cardboard. For the ears, make sure to remove the inside as well, this will allow the light to shine through.

Prepare the vellum paper
Cut the vellum paper in the colour of your choice to the desired length. Then glue two strips of photo card to the top and bottom of the paper. These strips will later be used to conceal the lantern blank and give the lanterns more stability.

Wrap the lantern blank
Now glue the photo cardboard around the lantern blank. Make sure that everything sticks well. Then stick some vellum paper behind the cut-out ears so that they glow beautifully in the dark.

Designing the bat's head
Now it's time to get creative: paint a cute face on the bat's head. Add wobbly eyes to give it character. For the teeth, use some glow-in-the-dark paper to give the bat a creepy smile.

Paws and claws
Now glue the "toes" onto the bat's paws. Cut the claws out of glow-in-the-dark paper too and attach them carefully.

Building the body
Now it's time to glue the ears behind the head and attach the whole thing to the lantern blank. The feet are also glued securely to the undecorated products so that the bat is stable.

Folding and attaching the angel wings
Trace the inner lines on the angel wings and fold them centimetre by centimetre to create a three-dimensional effect. Now attach the folded angel wings to the side of the lanterns.

Detail finishing
Punch out small stars from luminous paper and stick them to the vellum paper of the lantern. This will give your lanterns a special effect.

Attaching the lantern bracket
Use an awl to carefully poke a hole in the top of the lantern blank. Attach the lantern hanger here - and your bat lantern is ready for use!

Get started now and get creative!

Your eerily beautiful bat lantern is ready to carry light into the darkness. You'll find everything you need for this project in our materials list and online shop. Be inspired and discover lots more craft ideas for Halloween and other festive occasions. Start your crafting adventure now and bring autumn magic into your home!