There’s nothing like a little mood lighting to change a room’s overall aesthetic, and there’s no better way to achieve that than with some well-placed candles. The problem is, run-of-the-mill candles on too many surfaces feel a little played out, and they can even pose a safety threat when not properly contained and monitored.
With a little ingenuity, however, there’s a super stylish solution that can give any living room, bedroom or patio the ultimate shabby-chic vibe, and it might even help you declutter at the same time. A lantern made of picture frames will elevate a room’s ambiance to a whole new level of understated sophistication, and it will finally give a purpose to those empty picture frames collecting dust in a closet.
Materials
– 5-by-7-inch wooden picture frames with glass inserts (4)
– Clear super glue
– Adjustable clamp
– 4-by-4-inch thin piece of flat wood (1)
– Square wooden blocks, 1-2 inches high (4)
– Wood glue
– White chalk paint
– Medium-sized paintbrush
– Painters tape
– Wood square dowels, about 4 inches long (4)
– Wood square dowels, about 3 inches long (4)
– Pillar candle or votive candle
– 5-by-7-inch wooden picture frames with glass inserts (4)
– Clear super glue
– Adjustable clamp
– 4-by-4-inch thin piece of flat wood (1)
– Square wooden blocks, 1-2 inches high (4)
– Wood glue
– White chalk paint
– Medium-sized paintbrush
– Painters tape
– Wood square dowels, about 4 inches long (4)
– Wood square dowels, about 3 inches long (4)
– Pillar candle or votive candle
Instructions
1. Remove the backs from each of the four picture frames and discard them.
1. Remove the backs from each of the four picture frames and discard them.
2. Remove the glass inserts from the frames, lining the area where they will be repositioned with clear super glue.
3. Replace the glass inserts in the frames, and press firmly until the super glue takes hold.
4. Place one of the frames on a flat surface and squeeze super glue across the right edge of the frame.
Hold another frame perpendicular to it so they create a 90-degree angle.
5. Place another of the frames on a flat surface and squeeze super glue across the left edge of the frame. Hold another frame perpendicular to it to create a 90-degree angle.
6. Apply super glue to the edges of the two L-shaped frames and press them together to form a rectangle.
Put a clamp on the frame and allow the super glue to dry, making sure that the frames have been pressed together firmly before the glue takes hold.
8. Line the perimeter of the 4-by-4 flat piece of wood with super glue and press it to one of the rectangle’s open ends.
9. Add wood glue to the bottom of each of the four square blocks and place them on the flat piece of wood to form the lantern’s feet.
10. Once the wood glue has dried, paint the plank and blocks with white chalk paint, being careful not to get any on the picture frames. Apply painters tape on the edges to keep the wood natural.
11. Place the 4-inch square dowels together in a square, securing with wood glue on the ends.
12. Repeat step 11 with the 3-inch square dowels. Once both squares are dry, glue the smaller square on top of the larger one.
13. Paint this staggered, pyramid-like shape with the white chalk paint and let it dry.
14. Place the lantern so it’s sitting upright on the square blocks. Glue the pyramid shape to the top with wood glue.
15. Put a candle inside the lantern and light it using a wand lighter.
