Styrofoam Cup Lanterns
Supplies:
Styrofoam cup(s)
Styrofoam plate(s)
Scissors or sharp craft knife
Super glue
LED tea light
You might not describe a Styrofoam cup as stylish, pretty, or decorative. But you’ll put those words into a sentence containing “Styrofoam cup” when you turn ordinary cups into lanterns. The glowing cups, made with any design that you like, are great for parties, holidays, and other occasions. Turn them into night lights for kids, table lights for ambiance, or porch lights for you to enjoy at night. Styrofoam cups become lanterns when you cut up Styrofoam plates!
A large Styrofoam cup makes a fantastic lantern with many uses. And, when you decorate the cup with pieces cut from a Styrofoam plate, you further create something unusually striking. Who would have thought that a Styrofoam cup could be so beautiful? You’ll see what I mean when you make one yourself.
What do you like? Boats? Cars? Butterflies? Lighthouses? When you cut shapes that you like from a Styrofoam plate, and glue them onto the cup, you’ll capture those images when you light up the cup. Imagine having glowing flower lanterns, monogram lanterns, or even wild animal lanterns, all from Styrofoam. Just draw the images on the plate and cut them out with scissors or a sharp craft knife.
Use a cookie cutter, a drawing, or another image, to create the shape that you want for the lantern. When you have all of the shapes cut, glue them onto the cup. A dot of super glue on the back of each piece is all that’s needed to attach it to the cup. Use a toothpick to apply a single dot or two and that will keep the glue from dripping.
Everyone knows that a Styrofoam cup will melt if you put it over a burning candle or light. But an LED light is different. It doesn’t get hot so the cup will not melt. Set an LED tea light under the Styrofoam cup and watch your image glow. From a distance, the lantern will look like porcelain, and is actually quite beautiful.
Most Styrofoam crafts produce a child-like creation but that’s not true when you make Styrofoam lanterns. They look spectacular so you’ll want to make several. They’re so cheap to make that you can create a set for every new occasion and party.
The next time that you go to the store, pick up a pack of Styrofoam cups, and a pack of plates, and you’ll have plenty of fun in the future. Make small lanterns, large ones, ones for you, and ones for your home. After showing them off to everyone, don’t be surprised when you visit your friends and family members, and they, too, have Styrofoam lanterns!
