Give Dollar Tree's Halloween Lanterns A Major Upgrade With A Simple DIY

Do you find yourself humming "This Is Halloween" from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" as you stroll through the aisles at Dollar Tree, green basket slung on your forearm? This store is a goldmine of Halloween spirit as-is, but for a creative person, nearly everything in this store has us giddy over the DIY possibilities. The battery-operated paper lanterns exemplify this to a T: glowing orbs patterned in spiders, bats, ghosts, or a jack-o'-lantern face won't leave anything wanting as part of a haunted decor scheme. Still, their light-up factor, price, and versatility can also turn the gears of your imagination to go beyond the expected use. If you want a glowing, floating ghost as part of your Halloween decor to transform your yard, porch, or any room inside into a thrilling spook-scape, look no further than the Dollar Tree. This budget project doesn't require much artistic talent or time, either.

Along with a paper lantern (one with a white background is best), you'll also need a round, white, plastic tablecloth, a bit of black fabric or felt, glue, and twine or fishing line to get the job done. You can also grab a few other Halloween decor pieces, like mini pumpkins, to accessorize your ghost. If you don't want the pattern on the lantern to show through the thin tablecloth, grab a container of white paint and a brush while you're there to give the lantern a solid white background.

Paint the lantern white if you want to cover the pattern. The pattern is likely to show through when the lantern is illuminated if you don't cover it, but you can leave it unpainted if you don't mind. Let the paint dry past any tackiness, and drape the tablecloth over the lantern. Center the tablecloth over the top of the lantern, and cut a small hole through the tablecloth where it touches the hook part of the lantern's internal structure. Lace a piece of fishing wire or twine through it for easy hanging. Top tip: The fishing wire will make the ghost appear to float without support. Hang the ghost to make adding further details easier.

Trace two large ovals onto the black fabric for the ghost's eyes. Light-colored chalk works well for this task. Eye shapes about 4 inches long should look about right on an 8-inch lantern. You can free-hand them or find a similarly shaped item in your house to trace. Or get creative and cut unique shapes out for the eyes as well as a mouth for your ghostly friend. Cut out the fabric, and glue the pieces so their centers sit about at the halfway point on the lantern. If the quintessential sheet-over-ghost look satisfies you, you're done. But adding a bit of flair can be just what your ghost needs. Glue on a faux fall leaf accent a few inches below the head, put a mask on the head, or affix a trick-or-treating bag about where the arms would be on a disguised human. At night, turn on the light in the lantern to give your ghost an eerie glow. No matter the adornment, this floating phantasm is a cheap and easy Halloween decoration to keep spirits high.