Recycled Metal Candle Lantern for Halloween

Do you have a tattered outdoor lantern that you're no longer using? Here's a budget-friendly idea for how to turn it into a fun recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Everything you need to make it can be found in your Halloween decoration bin or from the dollar store.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

Recycled Metal DIY Halloween Lantern Idea

The motivation for creating a spooktacular Halloween lantern is our Int'l Bloggers Club challenge because the theme this month is Halloween.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

The inspiration came from an old outdoor garden lantern in our backyard that had seen its better days. But first, I need to figure out how to pry the melted flameless wax candle from the base.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

If you haven't heard of the Int'l Bloggers Club, we are a group of friends from around the globe who come together every month to share a themed DIY project.



We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the United States, and Canada. I'm from a hamlet east of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, situated about a 4-5 hour drive from both Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.



For our iron challenge this summer, I repurposed a wine barrel stave and wrought iron door knocker into a unique hanging flower planter for our gate. I've included links to everyone's Halloween ideas further down in the post.



Pictured below is the recycled metal Halloween lantern during daylight hours.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

And this is what the spooktacular lantern looks like illuminated in the evening hours.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

What You'll Need To Make It

These are the supplies I used to make the outdoor Halloween lantern. Missing is the strand of mini purple fairy lights and some plastic spiders that I found at the dollar store.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

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


Supply List

Metal Lantern (salvaged)
Black Spray Paint
Witch Hat Fascinator
Plastic Spiders (dollar store)
Mini Foam Pumpkins (dollar store)
Mini Witch Broom (alternatives)
Natural Raffia Ribbon
Orange Netting (salvaged from mini pumpkins)
Halloween Ribbons (alternatives)
Purple Mini Fairy Lights
Flameless Candle With Timer
Small Wood Dowling





How To Make The Halloween Lantern

Here are the deets on how to recycle an old metal candle lantern for Halloween.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

Step One - Paint An Old Lantern

First, remove the glass panels from the metal lantern. But don't wash the glass like I did; the dirt and cobwebs add to the spooky charm!



Take the lantern outside and paint it with a couple coats of black spray paint. While the paint dries we'll move on to making some of the spooky Halloween elements.



Step Two - Make A Large Loopy Bow

Make a large loopy bow to hang on the lantern with three spools of assorted wired ribbon. I can't make a bow if my life depended on it so I cheat and use this handy bow maker tool.



Step Three - How To Make A Miniature Witch Broom

To make a witch broom embellish the bow, cut a small wood dowel to size and paint it black and orange. Wrap a natural raffia ribbon around your fingers and tie it towards the top with more raffia (much like how to make tassels).



Attach the raffia to the dowel with a hot glue gun. Cut the raffia loops with sharp scissors and you're done.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

Step Four - Spooky Alternative For Lantern Candle

There's nothing spooky about a white flameless candle on a timer so I wrapped purple mini fairy lights around it and tucked the battery compartment to the back. Alternatively, use an orange, purple, or black flameless candle with a timer.



Next, wrapped the candle with netting salvaged from a bag of real mini pumpkins from the grocery store. To add to the creepiness, attach plastic spiders to the netting.



Step Five - Halloween Lantern Assembly

Fill the bottom of the DIY Halloween lantern with the same raffia ribbon used to make the broom. Set the timer on the flameless candle for dusk and set it on top of the raffia and close the lid for set and forget evening illumination.



Wire the loopy bow and miniature witches broom onto the handle of the lantern. Last but not least, slip a dollar store witch's hat fascinator into a hole at the top of the lantern lid or wire it on.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

DIY Halloween Lantern Vignette

Create a Halloween vignette around the pumpkin with painted mini dollar store pumpkins. I have some tips for painting dollar-store pumpkins. To add depth to the colors, rub dark wax over them with a lint-free rag.



Set the lantern and pumpkins on top of a piece of hardboard painted with black chalkboard paint. To add more moodiness to the Halloween vignette, lean another chalkboard behind to cast an orange and purple glow from the mini lights and candle.



Make a mini banner with chalkboard tags found at the dollar store and hang them with mini orange clothespins from twine. Super cheap and easy peasy.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store.

That's it! If you don't have an old lantern you could recycle, the dollar store sells inexpensive metal lanterns that you use. This is all about creating inexpensive Halloween decor.



Here's another idea for Halloween recycling a figurine display shelf from the dollar store into a spooky Halloween miniature.



Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween.



A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store. #halloweenlantern #diyhalloweendecor

Almost all of our DIY ideas have step-by-step tutorials so why not get your budget DIY on and subscribe. You can also find us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.



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!



If you enjoyed this DIY Halloween lantern idea, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your favorite board on Pinterest.




A recycled metal candle lantern for Halloween. Budget-friendly spooktacular halloween lighting from stuff in your decoration bin and the dollar store. #outdoorhalloweendecor #diyhalloween


Now let's see what fun ideas my friends had for their Halloween projects.


Halloween Ideas from the Int'l Bloggers Club

DIY Oversized Moon Wall Decor Halloween Mantel | Northern Feeling
Vampire Wings For Halloween | A Crafty Mix
Halloween Bottles | Unique Creations By Anita
DIY Wooden Halloween Boo Blocks | Raggedy Bits (not pictured)
Recycled Metal Candle Halloween Lantern | Interior Frugalista (that's me)



I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.



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Comments

  1. That's wicked Marie ;-) And I bet your kids will be fighting on who gets to keep the lantern for their Halloween decor. Thank goodness I'm all the way down here in South Africa, otherwise I'd be joining the fight.

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    1. Both of them love to decorate their homes for Halloween so it'll be coin toss who gets it. Meanwhile at the ranch, you'll find us enjoying a nip at the local watering hole.

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  2. You are so creative, I'm surprised a craft store hasn't scooped you up to develop product. Excellent upcycle, Marie!

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    Replies
    1. You are so kind my friend! xo Can you be that little voice on my left shoulder every day, especially on the challenging ones? LOL Hugs from Canada 🤗

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  3. The power of spray paint, hey?? I have saved a few decor items just by giving them a fresh coat of spray paint! Your lantern turned out so cool for Halloween Marie, it'll look great on your kids porch!!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, definitely hands in the air for the power of spray paint. Especially this time of year for us when normally it's too cool outside to spray paint. I'm gathering all the things to get them done before the cooler temps hit.

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  4. What a spooky awesome transformation! I can just see this sparkling up on the front porch to welcome all the sweet little trick or treaters!

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    1. Thanks Sam, I'm glad you like it! Hopefully it'll be lighting up the porch of whichever child wins the coin toss as we don't decorate for Halloween.

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  5. OMG. I had such a giggle reading this post. Sounds just like me. With my kids all grown up and out of the house we are the same. All the lights off and in the back of the house playing on my computer. I made all my projects for my great niece. Awesome lantern the colours you used are great.

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    Replies
    1. Yessssss, another fellow lights off gal! LOL It was fun when the kids were around (my son did most of the decorating) but now that it's just the two of us, meh. Glad you like the lantern, Anita, thank you! 😊

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  6. Marie, I love it! I definitely want to make one. I just need to find a lantern! I have one but I don't think it's big enough for the candle. I just love the vignette, too. I know right where I will put it.

    Thaks so much for the tutorial and the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awesome! Have fun making your Halloween lantern Naomi 😊 You could adapt your smaller lantern with a flameless votive candle or just fill it with the purple or orange fairy lights. I think a smaller version would be cute.

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  7. Marie I love this idea of adding things inside a lantern. Now I have one but I need to make pumpkins that are small enough to fit inside. Happy Fall my dear friend!

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    Replies
    1. Happy Fall back to you my friend! Filling a lantern with mini pumpkins is a great idea too. That way it can be used for Fall and Halloween. Have fun making yours 😊

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  8. Thank you for the pin and share, Marilyn! xo Hope you're having a great weekend so far.

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  9. Marie,
    I love how you converted this to a lovely Halloween lantern. Congratulations, you are being featured on Over The Moon Linky Party.
    https://www.eclecticredbarn.com/2019/10/over-moon-linky-party.html
    Hugs,
    Bev

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Bev, for the feature! I truly appreciate your support of my work 🤗 Wishing you a wonderful week!

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  10. Marie you are the halloween decor queen. Everything looks so cute. xoxo Kris

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    Replies
    1. You're very kind my friend! I'm pinching myself that I even have Halloween projects on the blog considering we're the ones on the block with lights out on the 31st.

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  11. I love how you updated and decorated this lantern. Thanks for sharing.

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  12. Thanks for sharing with us at the To Grandma's house we go Wednesday link party! I'm featuring you this week, happy October!

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