Ffern guides you through the crafting of a Samhain lantern
As the Somerset fragrance house continues its seasonal celebration of Samhain, it invites you to make your own paper lantern, layering tissue and gathered leaves to keep the dark at bay.
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Within a weathered wooden cabinet, three luminous paper lanterns glow softly, their pale surfaces patterned with pressed leaves and fragments of tissue. The lanterns rest on wooden shelves, their amber light casting gentle shadows through the natural materials, a moment of handmade craft suspended between seasons.
Ffern, the Somerset fragrance house celebrated for its commitment to nature and artisan traditions, guides you through the meditative process of creating a Samhain lantern. Begin by gathering tissue paper, leaves and crafting glue. Inflate a balloon as your mould, then mix equal parts glue and water. Tear the tissue into pieces and layer them carefully across the balloon’s surface, avoiding the knot, before adding pressed leaves and more tissue in delicate succession. The process demands only patience and care.
Once thoroughly dry, puncture and remove the balloon, trim the opening neat, and place a tea light within. The lantern transforms, emitting a warm, honeyed glow, a small ritual against the encroaching darkness. Should you choose real flame, attend it carefully; the fires of Samhain, after all, must burn with intention.
The craft speaks to what Ffern does best: creating objects of beauty that celebrate the seasons and restore meaning to moments that might otherwise pass unmarked. Each lantern becomes a meditation on light and shadow, on the natural world’s endless cycles and the quiet rituals that mark our passage through them.
Imagery courtesy of Ffern (@ffern.co).