Light Up Your Backyard With This Stunning DIY Flower Basket Lantern

If you're looking to add some whimsy to your backyard, you can't go wrong with a lantern. They add soft ambiance and a chic element to transform any space, creating a warm, inviting area for guests to gather. However, decorative lanterns range in price, costing close to $40, if not more. But with a few Dollar Tree staples, you can create the lantern of your dreams, customizing it to meet your yard's unique style, just as YouTuber The Celebration Co. suggests. You just need two Dollar Tree hanging wire baskets, metal wire, and a few other decorative items. 

The great thing about this DIY is that it helps decorate your outdoor living space with fun and functional elements, and is inexpensive. Start with Dollar Tree's Garden Collection hanging wire baskets for $1.25 each. Next, remove the hanging chains — you don't need them. But you do need a strong pair of wire cutters to remove the protruding hooks, so be sure to have some handy. If you don't own a pair, you can get them on Amazon for just under $12. Once the rims of your baskets are flush, connect them with black wire from Michaels. You'll receive eight yards for $4.99, providing you with plenty of wire to complete this project. If you want to use a different color wire to connect your baskets, you can do so. The goal is to make this lantern your own, picking and choosing the decorative elements you like best.

Next, purchase two round $0.99 plaques from Michaels. Remove the sticker and sand the area so any stain you use adheres. You can forego stain and use paint instead — Chalk Paint works well on virtually any surface. Stain or paint both sides. If using these lanterns outside, seal the stain to prevent the plaques from water and moisture damage. You can also age these plaques with a little black paint, creating an antique look. Next, use Gorilla Super Glue Gel to adhere the first plaque to the base of your bottom basket, where you'll place a candle. You can purchase this glue on Amazon for less than $9.  

Your second plaque goes on top of your lantern, holding your handle in place. To make a handle, you can trim and fold a Dollar Tree foil cookie pan, painting it to match your lantern. You can also use twine or another strong material (perhaps the chains you removed earlier), depending on your taste preferences. Glue the handle in place and reinforce it with silver push pins for $1.25 from Dollar Tree. But how do you decorate a lantern? You can swap out different candles for each season, and add decorative elements such as greenery or ribbon. Just be mindful of where you place these decorations, to prevent them from starting a fire. You could even use flameless battery-operated candles inside your lanterns, available on Amazon for $5. These lanterns are perfect indoors and outdoors and can even be given as gifts.