Budget-Friendly Fall and Halloween Lanterns: Easy Seasonal Decorating for Beginners

If you love decorating for fall and Halloween but want something easy, affordable, and beginner friendly, these seasonal lanterns are such a fun project to make. Lanterns are wonderful because they can be used indoors or outdoors, and you can change them from season to season without having to buy brand-new decor every time.

For this project, we are decorating two different lanterns: one for Halloween and one for fall. Both lanterns already have battery-operated lights inside, which makes them even better for seasonal decorating. One lantern has patterned glass, and the other has plain glass, but both are perfect for adding ribbons, greenery, picks, and embellishments around the base. I decided to make one Halloween lantern and one fall lantern, using styrofoam around the base so the decorations could be attached without permanently changing the lanterns.

The best part about this project is that you do not need expensive supplies. You can use small pieces of styrofoam, leftover picks, cute seasonal ribbon, ficus leaves, bead grass, berries, glitter stems, and little ornaments. It is a great way to use up scraps and create something that looks full and festive without spending a fortune.

Supply List

Two lanterns with battery-operated lights
Small pieces of styrofoam
Hot glue gun or glue pot
Glue sticks
Wire cutters
Scissors
Zip ties
Rustic wire or binding wire
Fall ribbon
Halloween ribbon
Double-sided ribbon
Ficus leaves in Halloween colors
Halloween ornaments or small decorative picks
Purple glitter stems
Small Halloween sprays or curly picks
Beige bead grass
Fall greenery
Fall floral stems
Small sunflowers or fall flowers
Blue accent stems or small blue flowers
Natural fall picks
Optional awl for making holes
Batteries for lantern lights

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Choose Your Lanterns

Start with two lanterns that have battery-operated lights. These are wonderful because you do not have to worry about cords, and they can easily be moved around your home, porch, or entryway.

Before decorating, look at the shape of each lantern. One may be taller, one may be shorter, and one may have a wider base. That will help you decide which one works best for fall and which one works best for Halloween. For this project, one lantern was decorated for Halloween and the other for fall.

Also check to see if your lantern has a door that opens. If it does, be careful not to cover the door with decorations. In this project, the lanterns did not have opening doors, so the greenery and embellishments could go all the way around the base.

2. Add Styrofoam Around the Base

Cut small pieces of styrofoam to fit around the base of the lantern. The pieces do not have to be perfect because they will be covered with ribbon, leaves, picks, and florals.

Add a little hot glue to the bottom of each piece and press it into place around the lantern. This gives you a base to insert your stems and embellishments into.

One helpful tip is that if you ever want to remove the glue later, place the lantern in the freezer. The glue will become easier to pop off, which makes this a great way to decorate seasonally without permanently damaging your lantern.

3. Make the Halloween Bow

For the Halloween lantern, start with fun seasonal ribbon. Double-sided ribbon works beautifully because it gives extra color and pattern. Polka dots, stripes, orange, green, black, and white are all great choices.

Make a small bow with about 3-inch to 3 1/2-inch loops and approximately 8-inch tails. A spider-style bow works great for this project because the tails and loops can spread out around the lantern base. Layer several ribbons together to create visual interest.

Once the bow is finished, secure it with a zip tie. Before tightening completely, make sure the tails are placed on both sides so they will be easy to fluff and arrange.

4. Add Halloween Leaves

Use ficus leaves in Halloween colors to begin filling in around the base. Cut the leaves into smaller sections, mixing larger and smaller pieces.

Place some leaves facing upward and some facing downward. Mix the colors as you go so one color is not grouped all in one spot. This creates a fuller, more balanced look.

These leaves are budget friendly and make a great base for the bow and ornaments. They help fill space without having to use a lot of expensive embellishments.

5. Attach the Halloween Bow

Before the lantern gets too full, attach the bow to the base using rustic wire or binding wire. Wrap the wire around the center of the bow, then secure it around the lantern base or hook area.

Fluff the bow once it is attached. Curl the tails slightly and let them spread naturally over the leaves.

6. Add Halloween Ornaments and Glitter

Now add small Halloween ornaments, picks, and embellishments. Break larger sprays apart so you can place the pieces in different areas around the lantern.

Tuck some into the leaves and some into the bow so the design looks cohesive. Add a few thin curly picks or glitter stems for sparkle. If the stems are too thin to push into styrofoam, glue them onto leaves or other sturdy pieces. I used small Halloween pieces, purple glitter, and additional accents to give the lantern a fun seasonal look without using all of my supplies.

7. Start the Fall Lantern

For the fall lantern, create a different look by decorating around the base instead of making a traditional lantern swag. This gives the lantern a fresh, unique style and lets the light shine through the greenery.

Begin with beige bead grass. Push the grass pieces up if needed so they are not too long, then place them around the lantern base. Let some pieces hang down and some stand up for movement. I used beige bead grass because it had a pretty wheat color that was perfect for fall.

8. Add Fall Greenery and Natural Picks

Cut fall greenery and natural picks into smaller pieces. Add them around the corners and sides of the lantern base. Layer shorter pieces close to the styrofoam and taller pieces toward the back or sides.

Use stems with unexpected textures, berries, pods, or small leaves. The more texture you add, the more interesting the lantern will look.

9. Make the Fall Bow

Choose a fall ribbon that includes the colors in your greenery and accents. Cut extra tails around 22 inches long and dovetail the ends.

Make a bow with loops around 5 inches. If you are using only one ribbon, an odd number of loops works well because it helps the bow round out nicely. Secure the bow with bine wire or rustic wire, then fluff it fully.

Attach the bow to the top area of the lantern base, wrapping the wire around the hook or frame while still leaving access to the lantern.

10. Fill In Around the Fall Bow

After the bow is attached, add more greenery and floral pieces around it so it looks like part of the design. Bring some stems up near the bow and tuck a few pieces into the middle. This helps the bow blend into the arrangement instead of looking like it was just placed on top.

Add small flowers, sunflowers, blue accents, or other fall pieces sparingly. A little pop of color can make the whole design come to life.

11. Light Them Up and Enjoy

Once both lanterns are finished, add batteries and turn on the lights. The Halloween lantern will look fun and festive, while the fall lantern will have a warm, natural glow. When the lights shine through the greenery, it creates such a pretty seasonal look.

These budget friendly fall and Halloween lanterns are perfect for beginners because they are simple, customizable, and easy to change later. You can use what you already have, mix in a few new seasonal pieces, and create beautiful decor for your porch, entryway, fireplace, or table.