I love the look of lanterns flanking a front door during the holidays and I've been wanting some for our home for several years. Unfortunately, with the hefty $100+ price tag for large lanterns, they are way over our budget.

Refusing to let a tight budget stop us from having the lanterns of our dreams, we put our DIY savvy skills to work and made Large DIY Outdoor Holiday Lanterns. These ones fit on top of our large flower planters, too heavy to remove during the holidays. Plus they are conveniently on set and forget timers.

Large DIY Outdoor Christmas Lanterns

While we used plastic panels instead of glass for our lanterns (and I'll explain why in a minute), the instructions for making these accommodates glass inserts as well. I also explain why we set them on top of our large planters instead of setting them on the ground. But they can just sit on the porch if that is your preference.

The large lanterns could be used all winter by removing the festive Christmas bows and replacing them with a buffalo check, burlap, or snowflake ribbon instead.

Why Did You Use Acrylic Panels Instead Of Glass?

You may be wondering why we used acrylic lighting panels instead of clear glass. To get glass panels cut to size would have cost approximately $60.

Sheets of Plexiglass would have cost even more at $80. We found these far less expensive Acrylic Clear Prisma Lighting Lens Panels for only $7.50 a 2' x 4' sheet.

Why Did You Set Them On Top Of Large Planters?

The only reason why we set the lanterns on top of our large planters is because we were too lazy to fill our planters with holiday greens this year. They would look lovely set on the ground beside large planters or urns filled with fresh or faux greens.

In fact I wrote a post on how to make Christmas planters with fresh greens and another on how to make Christmas planters with faux greens.

Pictured below is what the lanterns look like during the daylight hours.

What a difference a few hours made, here they are pictured below at night after a layer of freshly fallen snow.

Let's take a closer look at those plastic panels on the lanterns during the day.

...and how they look at night with the white lights inside.

What You'll Need To Make The Lanterns

These are the recycled scraps we used to make the lanterns. Other than the panels, everything used to make our lanterns was salvaged with things we had on hand and so they cost us next to nothing to make.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Lantern Supply List

2" x 2" x 8' Lumber (leftover from our DIY Patio Water Wall)

2 Fence post caps

Trim (salvaged from our 80's Wall Unit Hack)

Wood pulls (salvaged from an old dresser)

Piano hinge (leftover from Master Bedroom Built-In Window Seat)

1 Sheet of 2'x 4' Acrylic Clear Lighting Panels (Home Depot)

2 Cans Rust-oleum Hammered Metal Black Spray Paint

2 Sets Lighted Outdoor Branches

2 Rolls of wired holiday ribbon (salvaged from last year's Christmas Tree)

1 Strand of Faux Pine Garland

2 Strands of frosted berry garland

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to make the large holiday lanterns, almost all of the DIY projects shared here at Interior Frugalista have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

How To Build Large Scrap Wood Holiday Lanterns

We'll start the tutorial with how to build the upright pieces with Dado cuts to accommodate the acrylic (or glass) panels.

Step 1 - Acrylic or Glass Uprights

• Cut 2" x 2" lumber into four 24-inch long pieces (per lantern).
• Cut Dados 1/2-inch from the outside edges with a table saw to accommodate 6-inch wide panels (pictured above).

Step 2 - Attach The Base

• Cut 3/4-inch plywood into two (per lantern) 8-inch squares for the bottom and tops of each lantern.
• Attach the uprights to the base with wood screws (pictured above).

Step 3 - Build A Decorative Lid

• Attach wood pulls onto the top of each fence post cap.
• Remember that piece of plywood we cut in the previous step, attach it to the bottom of the fence post caps with wood screws.
• Cut two more pieces of 3/4-inch plywood into a 9-inch squares (one per lantern).
• Screw it from the bottom onto the 8-inch piece of plywood.
• Cut decorative trim at a 45° angle with a miter saw.
• To allow clearance for the lid to open, cut away the bottom half of the trim on the backside only.
• Attach the trim to the 8-inch base using wood glue and 1 1/2-inch brad or finishing nails.
• Fill the gaps with wood filler and sand smooth once dry.
• Cut a piano hinge with a hacksaw approximately 7-inches long.
• Drill new holes into the piano hinge to line up with uprights.
• Attach the piano hinge to the bottom of the lid first and then to the uprights. You can see the lid opened in the photo below.

Step 4 - Drill Holes For Lighted Branches

With a 2-inch hole drill bit, cut a hole in the center of the lantern bases to accommodate the stem of the lighted branches.

Step 5 - Paint The Lanterns

Once the wooden lanterns are constructed we'll give them a hammered metal appearance with three coats of Rust-oleum Hammered Metal Black spray paint. Once the paint is completely dry, protect the finish with an outdoor rated clear coat.

Step 6 - Install The Lights

• Push the stems of the lighted trees firmly into the plant pot insert soil.
• Pull the electrical cord underneath the lantern and outside of the plastic insert (pictured below).







Holiday Planter Tip For Frozen Soil

Instead of filling large planters with soil, fill them with pea gravel 2/3 full. Set a plastic flower (like pictured above) on top of the pea gravel so the lip of the insert rests just below the edge of the large planter. 



In the winter when you want to decorate your planters for the holidays you can bring the insert inside to unthaw the soil and decorate in the comfort and warmth of your home. But planting this way is also convenient in the spring when you can take the plastic inserts to a potting bench or table to plant flowers. Much easier on the back!




Step 7 - Panel Installation

I have to apologize for not including photos of this step. I am positive I took some but can't find them on any of my devices. Use a straight edge and retractable knife to cut the panels to fit inside the dados (6" x 24") and slide them into the dados on the wooden uprights.





Step 8 - Secure Lanterns To Planters





With #6 3/4-inch wood screws, secure the base of the lantern under the lip of the plastic insert (pictured above). Repeat this step on all four corners to firmly secure the lantern so it doesn't topple over during strong winds.





Step 9 - Add Festive Bows





Tie big loopy festive bows onto each handle. I recycled wired ribbon from our Christmas tree decoration bin that we are no longer using. If you're like me and all thumbs when it comes to making bows, you'll love this bow maker tool.





Step 10 - Decorate Base With Faux Evergreens




• Cut a strand of pine garland in half using wire cutters.
• Wrap a strand of frosted berry garland onto each half and secure with floral wire.
• Insert the lanterns into the large outdoor planters.
• Wrap the pine garland around each base and tie two branches together in the back to secure.




I'm quite pleased with the unique look of our DIY lanterns and they've certainly been getting attention in the neighborhood. I'm thrilled to finally have large lanterns flanking our front door. I'm even more thrilled about how much they cost to make compared to the ones I've been admiring in the stores.





Here is another DIY outdoor lighting idea that you may like. We turned metal hanging candle holders into Lighted Hanging Christmas Ornaments for a tree in our front yard.





UPDATE CHRISTMAS 2020

After displaying the lanterns on top of the large pots for four Christmas seasons, we decided to make some changes to the lanterns. In fact, we completely modified them to sit at varying heights on the ground and filled the tall planters with evergreens instead. You can see the brand new look here in our Large Red Outdoor Holiday Lanterns post.





Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by these DIY Christmas Lanterns. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!





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