DIY Tiki Bar Lanterns for Instant Mood Lighting

Wondering how to get that tiki bar glow? Try hanging several DIY lanterns to set the tropical mood!

These candle holders are affordable and easy to make with glass jars, yarn and burlap. Here’s how it’s done.

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DIY Tiki Bar Lanterns

Check out this video to see how the lanterns are made, and keep reading below for step-by-step instructions.

Materials

• Glass jars, various sizes (you could buy new mason jars or just clean and reuse your pickle/salsa/etc. jars)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Scissors
• Burlap
• Beige cotton yarn or macrame cord
• Crochet hook and large-eye blunt needle (optional if you want to crochet your lantern hanger)
• LED candles with remote
• Ceiling hooks and stud finder for hanging

Glue Burlap to Lantern

Start by cutting a piece of burlap to wrap around the middle of the jar. You don’t have to worry too much about precision. Making each lantern different will add to the casual beachy charm.

Hot glue one end of the burlap to the jar, wrap the burlap around the jar and glue the other end securely in place.

Also cut a little round piece of burlap to set in the bottom of the jar to hide the LED candle.

Make a Lantern Hanger

Next, you’ll need yarn or macrame cord to create the lantern hanger, which is just a big loop about five feet around. There are a couple of ways to do this.

Option 1: Crochet Chain Loop

I made a long crochet chain with yarn, then tied the ends together and weaved the ends into the chain with a blunt crochet needle. If you’re not a crocheter, you could braid three long pieces of yarn together to get a similar effect.

Option 2: Simple Macrame Cord Loop

If you don’t like the crochet or braided look, you could just use macrame cord or yarn tied into a loop, like the hanger used in this video.

I made each hanger a different length for variety, but about five feet around is a good starting point.

Attach Hanger to Lantern

Once you have your crochet or macrame cord loop, you can use a simple macrame “hack” to wrap it around your lantern and create a hanger. See how I did this at 0:35 in my video.

Note: This other video on Pinterest has a helpful close-up shot of the method.

It will probably take a few tries to get it just right. Once you’re happy with the positioning, hot glue the yarn in place along the top and bottom of each jar. That way you can prevent the lanterns from slipping out.

Add Flair to Each Lantern

You may want to customize each of your tiki bar lanterns to add flair. Just a bit of extra effort will give you that “effortless” look. 😉

I tied and glued a yarn tassel to two lanterns. For a few, I wrapped yarn around the tops. Some hangers I tied in a knot, and others I left longer.

Related: How to make a tiki bar gallery wall

Get That Tiki Bar Glow

Place an LED candle in each lantern, and you’re ready to hang them up!

These yellow LED candles come with a remote, which makes it easy to turn the lanterns on and off without requiring a step ladder. And that flickering amber glow is just right for the tiki bar.

Use a stud finder to locate a few spots to install ceiling hooks and hang your lanterns. You could group some lanterns together, and place them around focal points in the room.

Find more ideas for your tiki bar:

• Complete tiki bar decor guide
• How to create a tiki bar gallery wall
• Everything you need to stock your home bar