Create your night lamp or lantern from ice cream sticks (also famously referred as popsicle sticks). It is fun and rewarding DIY that can be done by anyone at home. Add a little warmth and elegance to your home with this beautifully designed lantern, a night lamp. It can be made with a few materials, making it a perfect weekend project for crafting things for kids or one of those stylish home decor items. It’s there to guide you through creating a beautiful-looking lantern in minimal effort.
Materials Needed
Before we start the project, let’s gather all materials needed :
- Ice Cream Sticks: You may require almost 100 sticks for a small to medium-sized lantern. You can get them in craft shops or collect clean, used sticks.
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks: That’s the best glue for this project but, craft glue will do the job too.
- LED Light or Fairy Lights – LED tea lights or a small string of fairy lights are perfect to be used as night lamp inside the lantern.
- Scissors or Craft Knife -To cut and trim ice cream sticks according to where they are needed.
- Ruler and Pencil -For measuring and centering precisely.
- Acrylic Paint or Wood Stain (Optional)– If you want to tint it or give it a distressed, weathered look.
- Varnish (Optional) For added protection and a finish
- Decorative Elements (Optional) -Beads, paper cutouts, fabric, or glitter, to give an end design to your lantern.
- Sandpaper (Optional) -You will use this to sand down the sharp edges from the ice cream sticks.
Step 1: Select a Design and Shape
Before you proceed to gluing things together, decide what shape you want your lantern to be. For simplicity, use a cube or rectangular box, but don’t be afraid of experimenting with hexagonal, triangular, or even cylindrical shapes.
Tip : To start out, square or rectangular design will give you stability and aesthetic appeal.
Step 2: Base of the Lantern
Create the base of your lantern. Take 4-5 ice cream sticks and create a square laying them down for each other, joining them with hot glue and being sure to press the joint at each corner firmly.
Double the layer of the base by adding several ice cream sticks stacked over each other for more stability. You can achieve 2-3 layers for extra foundation.
Tip: If you build a larger lantern, you can increase the number of sticks per side to add more stability.
Step 3: Construct the Walls
After your base is dry, you can begin to build up your lantern’s walls.
You place two ice cream sticks flat along two opposite edges of the base. Then you place two more sticks standing upright on the other edges, and that forms a square outline. Continue adding in alternating direction (horizontal, vertical, horizontal, etc.) until your lantern reaches your desired height.
This crisscross pattern ensures even weight distribution and structural integrity. Apply glue only minimally but effectively so that the wooden sticks stick together, yet don’t leave visible marks from the glue.
Tip: Let the glue on each layer dry up before adding another to ensure it holds firm.
Step 4: Optional Designs for the Walls
If you want your lantern to be open with more light coming through it, then you should space the ice cream sticks apart rather than putting them close on top of one another, which will leave gaps in the structure and allow more light to shine through the lantern.
Alternatively you can use scissors or a craft knife to cut the small pieces of ice cream sticks to create finely intricate geometric patterns or latticework for added ornateness.
Step 5: Secure the Top of the Lantern
Once you have completed your lantern walls, you may choose to have the top left open or cover it with a roof to achieve that smooth finish. Should you decide to go for an open lantern, then you can skip this step. If you decided to have a closed top lantern, what you need to do is as follows:
For a roof, take the ice cream sticks and stick them side by side together to form a flat square or triangle according to the shape of your lantern.
- Put your roof on top of your walls and stick them down.
You can slant the top of your roof to be able to have a prettier appearance for your lantern, and this can make your lantern look much more architectural.
Step 6: Paint and Decorate Your Lantern
This is where you can really be creative. Once you feel your lantern’s structure is complete and dry and secure, paint it or add ornamentations. There are many ways to personalize a lantern, and here are a few ideas for starters:
Paint the Lantern: You can use acrylic paint to paint the lantern in whatever color you like. You may choose to have it painted a solid color or even add patterns such as stripes, dots, and even have a stencil pattern of stars and moons to have a night theme.
Add Decorative Elements: Using glue, dot small beads, rhinestones, or glitter onto your lantern for a sparkling effect. You may also tie twine or wrapping fabric around the edges for a rustic or boho look.
Wood Stain the Ice Cream Sticks: In case you want a more natural look and seem to really enjoy wood stain, apply some on the ice cream sticks for a more polished, wooden effect on the lantern.
- Stenciling or Decoupage: Apply paper designs onto the lantern walls using stenciling or decoupage.
Paint or stain dries completely before proceeding with step 7.
Step 7: Add the Light Source
If you want your lantern to actually become functional as a night lamp, you will be putting in a light source. The safest and convenient light sources are:
- LED Tealight: Add an LED tealight into the lamp for a warm glow without the fire hazard.
- Fairy Lights: Put a string of battery-operated fairy lights inside for an enchanting effect. These can be wrapped around the internal walls of the lantern or bunched in the middle to create a glowing center.
Do not place actual candles in the lantern otherwise; the flame will spread to the wood as well as the glue.
Step 8: Enjoy Your Lantern Night Lamp
Once you have set up your light source, your lantern is ready to brighten up the room. You may put it on a bedside table or even fix it to a bookshelf, or hang it with the string which goes through the top part. As the lantern lights a soft and warm feeling, it can be a good decoration for evening hangouts or as a mere ornament for parties and events.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Can I use ordinary glue instead of a hot glue gun?
Yes, you can make use of your craft glue for this task, but it will take longer to dry and will not be as strong as hot glue. Use craft glue by having patience when waiting for the lantern to dry well before ensuring its parts hold good.
Q2: How do I add strength to the lantern?
You can varnish or apply a wood sealant with a coat to make your lantern sturdier. This will keep moisture out, so your lantern functions for years in the future. Further, reinforcing the corners using extra glue makes the structure more stable.
Q3:What other shapes can I make for the lantern?
You can try different shapes like hexagons, triangles, or even circular patterns. For a circular lantern, you’ll have to bend or angle your ice cream sticks, which is hard but really feasible if you plan and cut carefully.
Q4: What kind of light source should I use?
These usually come in the shape of battery-powered LED lights or fairy lights. They are heatless and do not tend to catch fire, and can be left on for a long time. Avoid using real candles, which have a tendency to catch fire.
Q5: Can kids make this project?
Yes, children can have fun creating this project with some adult supervision. It’s a lovely activity for kids, especially if they are interested in painting and other decoration stages. Just use caution about tools like the hot glue gun or craft knife as these are things that are to be used only by adults or under the direct supervision of adults.
Conclusion
Not only is an ice cream stick lantern a very easy and affordable DIY project, but one also truly beautiful means of adding that personal touch to one’s home decorations. The easy, creative decoration lantern will surely bring a nice warm glow to each room, whether for use as a night lamp, party decoration, or just as a cozy accent.
Follow these steps and embellish with your personal touch by adorning these plans, and you will end up with