The cozy glow of a candle, giving off light and warmth, is perfect for when it's cold and gray outside, and especially so when there's a partial lockdown which means weekends spent at home. You can make the most of at-home time to take up some DIY projects, and perhaps decorate lanterns and candles to give your home a personal, creative and sustainable touch ahead of the holiday season.

Here are three ideas from the DIY Academy in Cologne, Germany:

1) Easy and quick: Frosty lanterns

Spray empty jam jars with a special effect spray, for example, spray-on frost with an ice crystal or floral pattern.

You can also look for a stencil in the right size – a tree, a star or a heart, whichever shape you want.

Glue crepe streamers onto the stencil so that they overlap and cut everything out. Then carefully remove the crepe paper and stick it onto the glass. Remove it again after you've sprayed on the special effect spray. The light of the candle will shine through the frost-free area. For the finishing touch, you can also decorate the rim with a ribbon or string. You can even stick on pieces of mistletoe or pine for festivity.

Tip: It's best to decorate the outside of the jar, advised Mareike Hermann from the DIY Academy. It can be removed with warm water and some washing-up liquid.

2) Intricate work: A lantern with a wooden veneer

Cover an empty jar with a wood veneer and decorate it with string and dried leaves. Before doing this, secure the veneer from behind with some adhesive tape and cut it to the size of the jar. Then secure the veneer to the jar with some double-sided tape and stick on the sheets with some spray adhesive.

Tip: When looking for a veneer, make sure it's flexible and not too dry, so it doesn't break, advised Hermann.

3) A personalized gift: Photo candles

Transfer photos onto a candle using wax paper. It's important to print the photos on normal paper and cut the wax paper slightly larger than the images. Place the photo on the candle with the printed side facing outward. Then place the waxed paper on the photo with the waxed side down.

Then transfer the picture with a hairdryer on the hottest setting possible, but with medium airflow. Make sure you wear oven gloves! The hair dryer should melt the wax layer of the paper, but not the candle. When the wax has melted completely from the paper, simply remove the paper backing.

Tip: You can get quite close to the candle with the hairdryer, but don't stay too long in one place, or else you'll make holes in the candle, Hermann warned.