Coastal Farmhouse Lantern DIY: Bring Seaside Serenity Home

You need three of the blank 2′ panels from Dollar Tree. They have several in their summer coastal collection with cutouts like a sailboat, seashell, and an anchor. They only had one white seashell cutout at the stores that I went to, so I had to go with the anchor shape which was blue and one sailboat shape which was red. You can use three with the same cutout, they just didn’t have three anchors, and the shape won’t be shown in the third one, so you can use any that they have.

Dollar Tree wood or signs are notoriously bad for being slightly off size, so you’ll need to make four cuts for each of the sides instead of only two. Normally you’d be able to have two pieces of wood that are both exactly 2′ long and only have to make one cut one and have four 12″ pieces. Not so with Dollar Tree wood lol. It’s a little annoying, but it’s not horrible.

Remove the twine hangers from the panel signs & spackle the holes with spackle.

I used lightweight spackle from Dollar Tree to fill both of the holes left from the twine hanger. Allow it to dry, then sand it smooth.

First measure and cut the 2′ Dollar Tree panels to create the sides of the coastal farmhouse lantern.

Use a ruler or tape measure to mark one of the panels at 12.” I like to measure and mark each side, then draw a line connecting the two marks with a ruler. That way I have a straight line to cut along.

Paint the sides and top of the lantern with chalk paint.

I used Waverly chalk paint in white.

Paint the inner back panel of a square sign with a coordinating color.

I used a Dollar Tree sign that had a wood bead handle from fall to top my sign after the panel top. I left the frame color the same since it was a good neutral color that goes with the neutral coastal farmhouse color scheme, and it worked for the cohesive look of my DIY lantern.

Turn the sign over and paint the inner panel after removing the wood bead handle. It only took about three coats, thank God!

Assemble the DIY coastal farmhouse lantern.

I made a fall farmhouse lantern with the pumpkin panels back in September attempting to use E6000. Y’all, I’m honestly not sure which time was more stressful! This time I worked on it for 15 hours (including writing this post), and it’s 2am at the moment. This time it was the paint thing and my lovely husband getting my ribbon for me. I’ll let you know more about that in a bit. Actually, I think the more stressful lantern was the last one because it kept falling apart lol! Do not try to use E6000 for this. It. will. not. work. If you need to, you can use a staple gun like I did in that lantern if you must.

So- I lived and learned! Use Beacon Quick Grip! It’s literally that. It grips almost immediately. Squeeze glue along the edge of one of the sides of the DIY lantern that you cut, then place another side on it. Pull the pieces away from each other a few times as this will accelerate the adhesion process. I did find that it was easier for the pieces to stay together once you sit them up so do that now if you can.

Create a top for the lantern with your third panel.

Place the DIY lantern upside down on top of the that last 2′ panel and use a pencil to mark where you need to cut. Do not place the bottom on it because, as we’ve established Dollar Tree wood is not the same size everywhere! The bottom will be slightly different than the top.

Attach the square sign to the top and add a cute little bow!

Add some Quick Grip to the front of the square sign you painted earlier (like 9 hours earlier for me lol!). Place it on top of the assembled coastal farmhouse lantern. Why did we need the little piece we just added? Because this sign is just a smidge smaller than the top so you need to have a cover.

Enjoy your DIY coastal farmhouse lantern! I know now that mine is complete it will be bringing me all of the serenity it didn’t while in process!

Ha! Hopefully I’ve gone through all of the rough patches for you, and you have zero problems putting yours together! I know that you have learned from my growing pains. I will take some more photos when the sun is up because I really want it on my sofa table but there was just no light in there. First world problems y’all, I know. Remember this is a blog hop so keep reading so I can send you to the next stop!

Creative Craft Hop

Next up on our Creative Craft Hop is Allyson at Southern Sunflowers. She has a fabulous Dollar Tree stencil sign on canvas that I know you’re going to love! She is so creative. After you visit her, I hope that you will continue on to the other ladies because they’ve all got some great ideas to share this month!

DIY Patriotic Star Door Hanger

Seaside Serenity: Crafting Your Own Coastal Farmhouse Lantern!

Dollar Tree Stencil Craft on Canvas

Pedestal Serving Tray

DIY Coiled Rope Shoulder Bag

Blah to Blue-tiful Birdie Upcycle for the Garden

How to Make a DIY Patriotic Pillow

Homemade Gift for Dad

Easy Painted Rocks

Re-cycled Patriotic Sign

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