Backyard Lantern Magic

One of my favorite things to create for a backyard party is a magical ambiance with hanging lanterns. My summer entertaining always begins by putting up a few strands of carnival lights and adding paper lanterns that quickly hook over. The lights are easy to put up under eaves, across a patio or to weave through tree branches.  The lanterns pop open in an instant with a wire support and collapse easily for flat storage. 

I keep paper lanterns up temporarily just for the party but keep the lights up all summer so they're readily available for another get together. Lanterns made of nylon or fabric can stay up much longer.

Some individual lanterns come battery-operated which are handy when you want to cluster a group or only want to hang a few. Local stores I've found that carry paper lanterns are Cost Plus, Pier One and . Online sources have more shapes, colors and patterns available.

Here are some links for online sources:

Asian Import Store

Paper Lantern Store

Luna Bazaar 

The photos are from my 4th of July party where paper and glass lanterns lit up the night. 

How do you create magic for your summer parties?