DIY A Stunning Holiday Luminary With A Few Dollar Tree Items

Creating a soft glow is one of the keys to decorating for the holidays. Along with providing the perfect complement to traditional reds and greens, softer lighting that casts an amber hue around your favorite rooms evokes a feeling of warmth during the coldest months of the year. There are lots of ways to get the look, like ditching overhead fixtures for candles or a Christmas Leg Lamp from "A Christmas Story". Of course, a twinkling tree is also a classic choice. But if you're looking for another unique way to add soft light to your space, you can quickly DIY a stunning holiday luminary with a few Dollar Tree items.

Displayed as a dining table centerpiece or set on a mantle to make your living room feel extra cozy, it takes just a few inexpensive supplies to make this holiday decoration. Along with Dollar Tree's Clear DIY Christmas Ornaments, you'll also need four Wood Dowels, two Square Wood Boxes that are the same size, and one Stretched Painter's Canvas or smaller wood box, each of which cost just $1.25 each. To make your luminary sparkle, you'll need a small strand of lights that are battery-operated. Thousands of customers love the Ariceleo Mini Battery-Operated LED Fairy Lights from Amazon for $7, which come in a variety of colors and are easy to shape and shorten thanks to the simple copper wire design. No great DIY craft project can be completed without a reliable glue gun. And, last but not least, you'll also need a can of spray paint.

Begin constructing your luminary by gluing a wooden dowel into each corner of one of the wooden boxes. Next, using the other wooden box as a "lid", glue the dowels into each of the four corners as well. Because this will serve as the main structure for your new light, make sure to use a generous amount of glue so the dowels are firmly secured in place. Once the glue has dried completely, coat the base in spray paint. Black is a classic choice, but metallic options like Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface Spray Paint in Pure Gold can really up the sparkle factor.

While the paint is drying, get to work on the lights for your luminary. Start by removing the metal ornament caps before inserting the end of your string lights into one of the ornaments. Replace the cap to hold it in place and repeat the process with two or three additional globes. Leave a few inches of string light out between each ornament, which you will tape to the top of your luminary so each bulb dangles at a different height. Using hot glue, attach one side of a VELCRO Brand Mounting Square to the battery pack of your string lights and the other to the top of the luminary. Use two squares if necessary to hold the battery pack in place. 

Although your luminary will be ready to use once you've completed the steps above, we think it looks better with a few additional touches. To capture the look of an old-fashioned lantern, glue a smaller stretched canvas to the top of the luminary. You can also secure a round shower curtain ring to the top as well. Before attaching each of these items, spray paint them to match the rest of the luminary. You could also tie a ribbon around the ring to add more color and interest.

There are a variety of options for decorating the base of your lantern. You could fill it with colorful ornaments cushioned by artificial snow. If you think greenery would add a nice touch, try adding fragrant spruce cuttings or create a circle of garland that spills over the edge of the base to soften it. Alternatively, consider incorporating winter florals in a short arrangement. Before arranging your stems, cut a piece of green floral foam into a square that's slightly smaller than the base of your luminary. If you intend to use fresh flowers that will need water, line the base of your luminary using thick black plastic and inconspicuous staples first. If you're opting for faux florals that will last you through the new year, don't forget to use our game-changing tricks that make artificial flowers look real.