Summer Craft Ideas: Milk Jug Paper Lanterns

These milk jug paper lanterns are a great way to recycle some ½ gallon milk cartons into a fun and easy craft project you can use outside or inside this summer! I love recycled crafts that are super affordable and easy to make and these milk jug "paper" lanterns are easy to do.

Take inspiration from traditional colorful paper lanterns you find at party stores for the colors for this recycled craft project.

To Make "Paper" Lanterns Our Milk Jugs You Will Need:

½ Gallon milk jugs (lots)

Milk Paint

Paint Brush (optional)

Exacto knife, scissors, or paring knife

String of Lights

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The strings of lights you need are the kind that has the slightly large bulbs. You can also use those fun strings of lights that look like half sized light bulbs. You may be able to make this recycled craft project work with those tiny strings of light if you are careful.

We are using milk paint for this project because it is a natural primer and will stick well to the plastic milk jugs. You could substitute out any paints you have though, just beware some paints may have trouble sticking to the plastic milk jug.

To start you need to cut youth milk jug in half. You want this to be around the milk jug as it is standing up. Later you can decide if you want to make this a different size.

Now, take the bottom half of the milk jug. Use your scissors to cut a pretty neat edge on the cut end. You can do scallops or whatever you choose. You just need the milk jug to not looked rough on this cut edge for a more professional look.

Now, you need to cut a small hole in the middle bottom of the milk jug. This should be big enough so that when you take your light bulb out of the string of light, you can insert the milk jug bottom, then reinsert you light bulb.

This is what will hold the milk jug in place as a paper lantern.

Now, take one of your colors of milk paint and swirl it in the milk jug. Do this until your coat the entire inside of the milk jug paper lantern with the paint.

Milk paints will also give you nice mellow and vintage paint colors.

Now, pour out any excess paint and set the milk jug paper lantern out to dry.