One of the things we love most about summertime is all the outdoor entertaining we get to do. We live on an acreage, in a valley, with a river running through the backyard. It’s absolutely gorgeous and we make the most of our time outside in the summer.

I’m not a huge “do-it-yourself” person, but here and there I surprise myself. Haha! We have a couple big events coming up and I thought it’d be fun to whip up a couple lanterns that we can use for these parties. The best part? I literally had everything I needed on hand to make them!

DIY Mason Jar Lantern

For this lantern, you will need a mason jar (any size) and lid, a battery operated tealight, and ribbon if you want to decorate it. I placed the tealight in the lid, so the lantern shines all the way through the jar. This lantern literally took me 1 minute to create!

DIY Mason Jar Citronella Lantern

For this lantern, you will need a mason jar (any size) and lid, citronella fuel (tiki fuel), a tiki wick. Fill the jar with tiki fuel. Punch a hole in the lid and wiggle the wick down into the fuel. Allow the wick to become saturated. Light and there you go! A homemade bug repellent that’s pretty to look at!

There are multiple different DIY lanterns people make. I’ve seen some with fairy lights, some are spray painted or some even use a hanger to create hanging lanterns. As you all know, I’m more of a simple, less-is-more type of gal. These simple lanterns are easy to make and easy to take apart to use as something else!

Entertaining people doesn’t have to be hard. Little details go a long way and make people feel special and comfortable in your home. Don’t try to be like someone else, be like you!

Until next time,

–The Wing Lady