Divine Planet Beautiful Paper Star Lanterns

Handmade Paper Star Lights

   Star Lights, or Star Lanterns, originated in India as part of the Hindu Diwali festival, also known as the “Festival of Lights”.  These hand-made paper lanterns have recently become a popular part of our cultural providing hip and beautiful stained glass-like lighting.  I recently had the opportunity to review a few of these unique and fun paper lanterns from Divine-Planet.com, the e-commerce site for Divine Planet of Kauai, Hawaii.  The site has a wonderful selection of paper lanterns that are available in several different styles including 5 point, 7 point and 9 point stars in tons of colors and designs. 
  The three lanterns I choose were the Green Lotus Star Lamp, the Astrid Star Lantern and the Batik Star Lamp in Blue.   The package took just a few days to arrive, and I was excited to see how they looked!  The star lanterns are packed flat in individual packages so there is no chance of them being torn during shipping.  Once opened they were much larger and more colorful than I originally thought.  Three electric cords with on-off switches, which are sold separately, were included as well.  You do have to assemble the lanterns, and although they are not hard to put together, I found it easier to have my husband help.

Each lantern is folded flat and comes in a plastic bag along with an odd looking piece of plastic which is used to from a cage around the light bulb. 

  Assembly is a cinch!  First you untie a string and the star will pop open.  Once you separate all of the points, use your fingers to gently expand each individual point. 



  Next, insert a 40 watt CFL bulb (be sure to use these as they burn a lot cooler, cheaper and longer than regular bulbs!) into the electric cord socket.  Then take the included plastic insert and bend it into a circular shape, inserting the tabs from the outside in to the corresponding slots so that the plastic insert forms a protective cage around the light bulb.  Check to be sure there is some space between the bulb and the cage.

  Carefully insert the cage and bulb into the opening at the top of the star.  Here’s where another person comes in handy.  Have your helper gently push the two sides of the opening together, this way your hands are free for the last step which is to tie the strings attached to the top of the star together so it completely closes around the bulb. 


You are now ready to hang your lantern up, plug it in and be wowed!


  Although the star lanterns look great unlit, once they are illuminated they look very similar to stain glass due to the colored tissue paper behind the cut-outs!   It is recommended that you use a 40 watt CFL bulb, however, for the purpose of these pictures, I was using a slightly larger size which is why you can see more of the light towards the bottom of the stars, using the smaller bulbs should eliminate this.
Astrid Star Lantern
   The hand made Astrid Star Lantern is my second favorite of the three with its purple background and yellow and blue accents.  It puts off a slightly bright, purplish-white tinted light and has wonderfully intricate designs.  It measures around 24” wide and 6” deep.


 

Green Lotus Star Lantern
   The hand made Green Lotus Star Lantern is my personal favorite with its green background and purple, yellow and blue lotus-shaped patterns and other abstract accents that truly resemble stained glass. I love the greenish-blue light that fills the room when this is used as the only light.  It measures around 24” wide and 6” deep.

 
   
Batik Star Lamp in Blue
  The hand made Batik Star Lamp in Blue is my third favorite.  It is made from wood-free recycled cotton paper that has a batik-like effect of darker blue-colored swirls.   Star-shaped cut-outs form a circular pattern around the middle of the star, and on each of the nine points is another pattern formed by smaller, round shaped cut-outs.  Each of the cut-outs allow the light to create a really neat pattern on the walls and ceiling.  It measures close to 28” from tip to tip.



   I chose to hang one in our den, one in our bedroom and one in our study.  Once we have a child though, I want to put all three in her or his room!  They put out a wonderful amount of soft light.  I like to sit on the couch at night, turn out all of the lights, and illuminate my star lantern which fills the room with softly colored light…so relaxing.
  Divine Planet’s Star Lanterns are extremely affordable varying in price from $7 up, and sometimes even less when they are on sale!  The 12” electric cords with an on/off switch, which as I mentioned are sold separately, sell for as low as $3.25 and up.   If you want your lantern illuminated order one of these, do not try to make your own and do not use a candle! They are not expensive and are so worth it once you plug your lantern in!
  These lanterns would look great outside on a covered porch, or in your dorm room, or child’s bedroom, or as decorations for a party or wedding reception. Speaking of weddings, Divine Planet also carries lanterns specifically for weddings and other events, as well as a great selection of silk lanterns, nylon lanterns, round paper lanterns, battery-powered paper lanterns, Japanese paper lanterns, Chinese paper lanterns, plus prayer flags, candles and other unique home décor items.   The site is very user-friendly and all orders over $50 ship for free!  Spice up your home, your covered porch, your child’s room, a dorm room, your wedding or party with some of these beautiful paper lanterns from Divine Planet.com today!