1. Source Your Lanterns

I brainstormed about a million ways to make these lanterns: paper, electric votives, everything. I was really struggling to find a simple solution as all of my others were too expensive or too heavy or, frankly, just too much trouble. Then, while I was walking through a dollar store I saw the most hideous burlap lantern light strands the world has ever known. 

Seriously, they were the ugliest lights. And, I was clearly not the only one who thought so because they were seriously discounted. I paid $2 per light strand! 

I discreetly checked to make sure I could peel the burlap off, and saw that the base of these lantern strands was a plastic cylinder. Perfect! These became the base of my entire design.

2.  Prep & Paint Your Lanterns

Take off whatever is covering up your lanterns, making sure to clean the surface as best as possible. Now it’s time to paint them. 

I used a few drops of yellow acrylic paint in about 2 Tbs of matte Modge Podge and mixed it together. This gave me a subtle yellow tint that still let the light shine through. I chose this because I had it at home and I’m working really hard at using what I’ve got instead of buying more craft supplies! If you’ve got yellow glass paint that would also work well.

3. Cut Your Lantern Decor & Stick It On

If you wanted more color, you could absolutely cut your Tangled-inspired lantern stickers (the sun and the wavy borders) out of purple vinyl sticker paper. But, be warned, it’s definitely going to add a layer of energy (read: chaos) to the overall look. 

I opted for a darker yellow sticker vinyl because the yellow on yellow design looked more muted and gave the tree more of a glow. It also helps the tree still look lantern-like even when the lights are off.

4. Trim The Tree

Now, all that’s left is to string your Tangled lantern lights on the Christmas tree. I put them on in layers wrapping around and around the tree.