DIY Painted Glass Lantern

I’m a little late with my summer decor this year, but I did a fun project this weekend to make up for it! (Who am I even kidding?! “Late”? “This year”? Yeah…I am notoriously bad at remembering to do seasonal decor at all, much less right when the season begins! Ah well!) Anywho, it’s still summer, so it’s the perfect time to put away my spring mantel decorations and redecorate for summer!

And when I got an offer to partner with DecoArt and a bunch of fabulous bloggers to do a fun nautical-themed project with their glass paint, of course I said yes! I had the perfect centerpiece project in mind for my mantel: a painted lantern. And it turned out great! Check out this hand-painted glass lighthouse lantern!

DIY Painted Glass Lighthouse Lantern

I’ll admit, I am not the best artist. But I still love how it turned out, and it has a bit of story behind it, so it’s fun to see every day! (Not the lantern…the lantern I just picked up on sale at Michael’s one day! It’s the lighthouse that has a story behind it.)

When my brother and I were young I have this hazy memory of visiting a lighthouse. I know my dad and brother were there, and I feel like Nana (Dad’s mom) was too, but I don’t remember anything specific. All I remember is being on the coast, walking on some grass towards a lighthouse in the distance. I have that specific image in my head really clearly, but I don’t even remember what state we were in! The lighthouse is either in the northern Bay Area of CA or the coast of Oregon since those are the places we would have been with Nana at that age, but that’s all I got!

So anyway, I figured this was the perfect project for that lighthouse memory! The lantern is a really fun centerpiece on my mantel, it’s totally summery, and when you light a candle in the lantern it looks like the lighthouse is on!!! Totally awesome!

DIY Painted Glass Lighthouse Lantern

My lighthouse lantern turned out to be a pretty good approximation of what I remember! It was definitely tall, white, and round with a red roof. And there was a little gatehouse or something right near the bottom, also with a red roof. There’s a lot more background in my mind; there’s a sort of craggy coast with the water off to the left and a path leading down to the lighthouse, but I don’t have those sorts of painting skills! The only other memory I have of the lighthouse at all is my brother with the biggest smile on his face running up the steps to the top of the lighthouse once we were actually inside. 🙂 Great memory, but not helpful in determining where this thing is!

And it’s a really easy project to do! If you want to create your own painted lantern, here’s how!

DIY Painted Glass Lantern

You need:

  • a glass lantern (I found mine at Michael’s), and a pillar candle
  • DecoArt glass paints
  • paintbrush
  • an oven

That’s all you need!

The first thing I did was take one glass panel out of my lantern. In order for glass paint to set properly you need to bake it in an oven. I figured the glass and metal lantern would probably be ok in the oven, but I didn’t really want to risk it. And it turns out there were just a few tabs holding the glass in, so it was pretty easy to pull one panel out. Clean the glass with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball, and then wipe it dry with a clean paper towel.

Then just paint it! I have no real instructions for this part because I just sorta painted what I remember. There was no stencil or drawing or anything. I started with the very basic colors for each section: green grass, white lighthouse, and red roof. I used DecoArt’s Frost glass paint for this because I wanted the light to show through the lighthouse, but if you want a totally non-see through color, they make opaque paint as well. Or there are totally transparent colors too if you want more of a stained glass effect!

DIY Painted Glass Lighthouse Lantern

I let that layer dry, and after about an hour I came back to add the details. I used the 3D Frost paint to add outlines everywhere, and to add the details for the landing and railing near the top. (In my memory, the lighthouse has mullioned windows surrounding the giant light at the top, but I don’t have enough skill to make that happen on this lighthouse!)

DIY Painted Glass Lighthouse Lantern

Then let it dry, bake it, put the pane back in your lantern, and you’re done! The drying and baking directions are on the paint bottle, but mine had to dry for four days! The baking part only takes about 30 minutes in a 275 degree oven, so that part is quick. But plan ahead if you’re planning to paint glass cuz the drying time is long!

And I’ve noticed that baking the painted glass doesn’t actually change the color, so don’t worry about that. Just paint it how you want it, and it will still look like that even after you’ve baked it!

Doesn’t it look great on my mantel?!

DIY Painted Glass Lighthouse Lantern

I kept the twine-wrapped bottles that have been there since St. Patrick’s Day because they’re pretty nautical-looking, and I added in some seashells to complete the look!

What’s on your mantle right now?

Disclosure: I received compensation from DecoArt in exchange for my participation in this fun glass paint campaign. But I love DecoArt paint and use it all the time! I highly recommend it, and all opinions in this post are 100% my own. I would never write a post about something I didn’t think was useful or interesting for you guys, and Practically Functional will only publish sponsored posts for companies or products I love and believe in! 🙂

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Jessi Wohlwend

I believe that anyone can do crafts and DIY projects, regardless of skill or experience. I love sharing simple craft ideas, step by step DIY project tutorials, cleaning hacks, and other tips and tricks all with one goal in mind: giving you the tools you need to “do it yourself”, complete fun projects, and make awesome things!

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Reader Interactions

  1. Natasha J says

    11 years ago

    i would make something to jazz up my computer space.

  2. Lizzi G. says

    11 years ago

    If I won I would use the paint to decorate some plates to hang on my dining room wall.

  3. Jessie C. says

    11 years ago

    I would make glass lanterns for decoration.

  4. Crystal says

    11 years ago

    I would love to do some wine glass decorating…I’ve been saving them for a project I have in my head. Thanks for the great giveaway!! Your lighthouse turned out great and I love the story behind it!!

  5. Bonnie says

    11 years ago

    I’ve been wanting to do something with my wedding lanterns

  6. Michelle Smith says

    11 years ago

    I’d make some thing for my new room!

  7. Tiffany S says

    11 years ago

    I would love to win the Michael’s giveaway! I could buy so many new cake decorating items with that!

  8. Stephanie Phelps says

    11 years ago

    I would make a personalized mirror for my sons room! I think it would be cute!

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