Hello Friends,

Ever heard the old joke about the time a pile of scrap lumber, 16 wood screws, and a bottle of glue walk into a workshop?

Well…..ok.   They didn’t actually WALK into the workshop.

But while they were gathered there, something wonderful happened.

All of the pieces came together to create two super rustic lanterns made to fit my space.  

Sounds crazy, but it really was just this easy.  Pinky promise.

Disclosure:  Product was provided by Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company, but all piles of lumber, corny jokes, and opinions are 100% my own.

DIY RUSTIC HOLIDAY LANTERN

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Scrap wood

8 Wood screws

Wood glue

Wood putty

Sandpaper 120-220 grit

Paint

Sealer or wax (optional)

Paint brushes

Soft rags for the wax

DIY RUSTIC HOLIDAY LANTERN

INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE

Step 1.  Sort scrap wood on the floor so similarly sized pieces can be easily located.

Step 2.  Locate same-sized pieces for the top and the bottom, and the four sides.

Step 3.  Attach the pieces using 4 screws on the top and the bottom.

Step 4.  Glue wood blocks on the top.

Step 5.  Glue wood strips between the verticals at the top and the bottom. 

Step 6.  Fill in the nooks and crannies with your favorite wood putty.  Remember, wood putty instead of caulk because caulk cannot be sanded. But caulk is fine if you don’t plan to sand.

Step 7.  Sand the entire piece so there are no splinters or rough edges.

Step 8.  Apply a basecoat of paint.  I used Old Fashioned Milk Paint (color – Driftwood) because I wanted the end result to look like very old barnwood.  This particular color provides a great base for achieving these results.

Notice that the paint was applied sloppily. The more variations in the basecoat, the better.  All of this sloppy look was part of the plan.

Step 9.  Apply a topcoat of paint.  I used Old Fashioned Milk Paint (color – Snow White).

Instead of random sloppiness, the topcoat was applied with a dry brush technique so that as much variation as possible could be created by the paint.

I honestly thought that I’d be done after the second coat of paint, but the result was a little too white and a little too flat for the particular look I wanted to achieve.  To soften the white, I tried sanding, but it really didn’t pop the colors or provide the depth of color that I wanted.  At this point, it looked more like wood painted in layers instead of old barnwood.

Huuuum.  Not good.  🙁

Step 10.  Apply clear and colored wax.

This is when I pulled out my stash of three different colors of wax.  Why? Because three colors can been applied at different places on the lanterns to pop the color of the paint and create the depth I was looking for.  

I applied the wax with my hand and buffed it with a soft rag.  Really, I did.  Even using the black and brown wax bare-handed, there is no staining of the skin.  But because it is an all-natural beeswax laden with emollients, at the end of this treatment, the lanterns looked great….and so did the skin on my hands!

But I digress….

Just look below and see the layers of rich color.  The wax really did make all the difference.

Yep, Driftwood + Snow White + 3 colors of Wax 

The look is really, really rustic, but just perfect for this outdoor space.

Yep, perfect.

As we continue toward the Christmas Home Tour that begins December 5, all of the handmade pieces that I’m posting now will come together in the outdoor room.

“Why,” you ask, “am I going all rustic with a little bit country?”

Ahhh!  I’ll tell you all about that on December 5.  *wink*

Hope you will stay tuned.

In the meantime, here’s a handy graphic to pin this lantern idea for later… 🙂

Plus a super easy tutorial for making a decorative ladder to fit your space. (Click Here)

Plus the easy way to make a little Christmas tree for your tabletop. (Click Here)

Plus how to mix and/or create a custom color with milk paint (Click Here).

Plus how to breathe new life into tired wood using beeswax with emollients (Click Here).