Making a Saint Martin Lantern – Last-Minute Upcycling

“Lantern, lantern. Sun, moon, and stars.” – On November 11th, the Saint Martin parade takes place again. On this occasion, a stylish lantern for the little ones is, of course, a must-have. Do you want to make a Saint Martin lantern together with your children but have little time left? Then we have the perfect crafting idea for you!

After the parade, the lantern lingers a bit in the children’s room and eventually ends up in the trash. For this exact reason, we have a sustainable upcycling alternative for you: a Saint Martin lantern made from an old milk carton! How it works, you’ll read in this article.

Make an Upcycled Lantern from a Milk Carton

If you want to make a Saint Martin lantern, it doesn’t always have to be complicated and expensive. Do you have an old milk carton left? Then don’t throw it away immediately. A clean milk carton can be wonderfully transformed into a stylish little house. Also, you don’t necessarily have to use the materials we use. For example, if you don’t have a lantern stick at home but have a battery-operated string of lights, that works just as well. Feel free to be creative!

You will need:

• A clean milk carton
• Acrylic paint/spray paint of your choice
• Scissors
• Wire
• Hole punch
• Lantern stick/flickering LED light/string of lights
• Alternatively, tracing paper and tape

How to make a Saint Martin lantern:

1. Before you start crafting, the milk carton should, of course, be empty and dry. Then you can fold out the top corners so that the milk carton takes on a house-like shape.

2. Next, start painting the carton. You can use spray paint or acrylic paint for this. You and your children decide entirely what color your house facade should be.

3. Once the paint is dry, you can proceed to cut out the windows. Our tip: use nail scissors for this. They allow for more precise window cutting.

4. Do you have a bit more time for making the Saint Martin lantern and want to achieve an even cooler effect? Then we also recommend using some tracing paper for the windows. Simply tape it from the inside with some tape. If you later use a lantern stick, you can cut the bottom side on three sides so it can be folded open. This makes taping easier. Of course, you can also decorate the house as you like.

5. Now you need the hole punch. Punch two holes in the outer sides of the roof. Then thread a piece of wire through each end and twist them together.

6. Do you have a lantern stick available? Then insert the light through the spout into the carton and attach the stick to the wire. Alternatively, you can also place a string of lights or a battery-operated LED light inside the lantern. A piece of branch from the forest can serve as the lantern stick. Voilà! You’re done making your Saint Martin lantern. Your very own upcycled lantern is ready for the parade.

Are you interested in sustainability? Then check out our latest blog post. Here we introduce plastic-free alternatives for everyday family life. We also regularly share tips for a more environmentally conscious family life on our howa Instagram page.

Image rights: © iStock / fotostorm, © iStock / Alexander Vorotyntsev