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Hello everybody! It's Krystal here from Sassy Sanctuary. I'm so excited to be visiting Craft Goodies today! Wendy is just amazing and its been a blast getting to know her through Wood you like to craft?! Her talent is incredible but she really out did herself with her lantern! I think its about the cutest thing I have ever laid eyes on!
Anyway, as much as I wanted to just copy it exactly, I decided to try to make a lantern that wasn't seasonal... just to mix it up a bit. Here is what I came up with.
I think its a lot of fun and I'm sure it will show up in different vignettes all over my house. It has a bit of a beach cottage vibe which is fun for summer! But my favorite part is the etched glass.
It was quite the internal debate deciding what pattern to use on the glass, but in the end I went with a honeycomb pattern. I think its perfect!
The key to this lantern's construction is 5x7 picture frames. I found a bunch on clearance and went from there. Here are some basic instructions.
Obviously the exact sizes will depend on the size of frames you use, but you need wooden posts for the corners, 2 squares for the top and bottom, smaller posts and a smaller square for the little "house" up top, hardware, and of course, your frames.
Use wood glue and finishing nails to construct your lantern. I started by connecting my frames to the posts (leave one frame off) then attaching that to the base. Then construct the "little house" part. (really not sure what to call that) Drill a large hole in the top peice, then attach the "little house" to the center of your top. Finally attach the top to the main piece. It should look like this when its done.
Give it a good sanding and then finish it however you want. I had a little fun with the finish. I painted it white, distressed the heck out of it with my sander, and then I put a coat of blue stain over the top. (You should have seen the look on the face of the paint lady when I asked her to mix me up some blue wood stain! hehe)
To etch the glass I made a vinyl stencil with my silhouette.
Slather on the etching cream and let it do is thing. The bottle said to leave it about 5 minutes but I probably let mine sit for more like 20.
Depending on your frames, you may have to use hot glue to put your glass back in. (Like I did) Just put a small dab in each corner and set your glass in place. It works like a dream.
Last step is attaching your hardware. You want a handle for the top so it can hang, a knob for the door, and little hinges so it can do this...
(Oh, and I should mention that although it would probably be fine, I went with one of those battery powered candles. I worry about wood and fire. I would hate to have someone burn their house down!)
And that's it! My fun summer lantern!
Thanks so much for the inspiration and for having me Wendy! I can't wait to see what everyone else does this month!
As always I'm linking to these great parties and events: