5.3 How to Make a Chanhua Firefly Lantern

2026年2月23日

1. Prepare the wrapped pieces you need: ten brown-green leaves and two white wings.

2. Prepare your materials: 4mm snowflake beads, ball pins, a glass teardrop bead, silk threads, flower calyxes, 2~5mm beads, and a piece of 0.4mm copper wire.

3. Line up the head of the ball pin with the middle of the copper wire.

4. Hold the copper wire against the end of the ball pin. Use the other end of the wire to wrap around the pin twice to secure it.

5. Bend the wrapped wire down so it overlaps the pin's stem. This makes the pin longer and stronger.

6. Thread the copper wire through a snowflake bead.

7. Slide the snowflake bead up so it sits against the pin head. This creates a small flower center.

8. Thread the copper wire through the glass teardrop bead.

9. Pull the wire tight so the teardrop bead sits snugly against the snowflake bead.

10. Wrap a small section of the copper wire with silk thread to secure it. Then, add one of the wrapped brown-green leaves and tie it on.

11. Add four leaves, one by one. Tie them so the bases are together, and the leaf tips open up to surround the teardrop bead.

12. After this step, the front should look like a flower bud.

13. Put a little jewelry glue on the bottom of the bud.

14. Thread on a flower calyx. This adds detail and helps keep the leaves in place.

15. Make two of these flower buds using the same method and set them aside.

16. Cut one piece of 0.8mm copper wire and one piece of 0.4mm copper wire.

17. Hold the two wires together.

18. Use silk thread to wrap the middle section of the wires for about 1cm.

19. Use pliers to help you bend the wrapped section in half.

20. Continue wrapping the thread for a short distance.

21. Separate one of the 0.4mm wires from the group.

22. Thread a 2~5mm bead onto it. You can choose the bead size you like.

23. Wrap the leftover part of this single wire with thread until the wrapped part is as long as the bead's diameter.

24. Bring the single wire back together with the other wires. Wrap them all together tightly with thread to secure the bead.

25. Use the same method to add more beads of different sizes to finish one branch.

26. Make one short branch and one long branch using this method. Set them aside.

27. Thread a 2mm bead onto a piece of 0.4mm copper wire.

28. Fold the wire in half, keeping the bead in the center.

29. Place the bead against one of the finished wings. Use silk thread to wrap and secure the wires.

30. Use the same method to make the second wing, so you have a pair.

31. Use pliers to gently bend the wings into a slight curve. Set them aside.

32. Prepare an 8mm bead with a large hole. This will be the firefly's body.

33. Thread the wires from both wings through the hole of the large bead. Position the wings so they sit against the bead.

34. Adjust the wings, bending them slightly downwards to make the firefly look more three-dimensional.

35. Thread the wire through a 3mm bead and then fold the wire in half to secure it.

36. Thread these wires through the space between the two wings and into the hole of the large body bead.

37. This completes the firefly's head.

38. Cut two more pieces of 0.4mm copper wire and thread them through the hole to make the antennae.

39. Use round-nose pliers to curl the ends of the wires, creating an upward curve.

40. At the back, use silk thread to tie all the wires together securely. One firefly is now complete.

41. Prepare a large, curved U-shaped hairpin as the main base.

42. Use shaping pliers to bend one end of the hairpin into a curve.

43. Take the two flower buds. Position them so one is slightly higher than the other, and use silk thread to tie them together. This makes them look more layered.