Pottery Barn Knock Off Lantern Made from Picture Frames!!

Pottery Barn Knock Off Lantern Made from Picture Frames!!

Hello!  I am Kari from the Sunset Lane.  I am so excited and flattered to be writing a guest post for Cassity!!  I thought I would die when she asked!  The Sunset Lane is a blog about making life beautiful without emptying your bank account.  I see anything and everything in magazines, on Pinerest, random things I google, anywhere really and make a knock off version for pennies compared to the retail cost.  

Pottery Barn is my main source of knock-offery (yes, I made that word up!).  I have imitated quite a few of their items.  Like the Pottery Barn Bellora Chandeliers I DIY'd, the Belgium Train Signs, the numbered art, or the monogrammed mugs.  I love their things, but not their prices.   

After dealing with my less than appealing (okay downright f-ugly) light in our master bedroom.  My latest DIY Pottery Barn adventure was to create one of these:

Pottery Barn Gothic Lantern

Pottery Barn Blacksmith Taper Lantern

I had been plotting it for a while when the idea came to me on the toilet.  I was going, but rather giving my baby a bath when a picture frame fell on the back of my head breaking the glass....for the millionth time.  I was staring at it and came up with this :)  

How to make one for yourself!

Step 1: Have a picture frame fall on your head Collect 4 matching picture frames.  Mine were 8x10 frames, you can choose smaller or larger-the lantern police won't arrest you for not following directions!

Can you guess which one broke?!? :)

Step 2: Collect your supplies. I used hot glue, gorilla glue, a speed square, needle nose pliers, and painters tape!

Apparently I didn't picture all my supplies-ADD kicking in!

Step 3: Remove all the glass and "guts" of the picture frame and the little metal tabs that hold it all in. (Please note: if you plan to leave the glass in the lantern, you should leave the little tabs in-but I didn't think about that before I removed all mine!) You could always glue the glass in, but this may be messy if you accidentally break one.

Step 4: Use your speed square or other 90 degree angle tool to keep it square and put on the Gorilla Glue, then quickly shoot some hot glue on the ends, just to keep it in place.  I'm sure there is an easier way, but I try to look for the hardest way possible and do it that way.  I usually open packages and then find the easy 'pull here to open it' spot!

Sorry it's blurry!

Step 5:  Repeat step 4 until it looks something like this

Step 6: Tape around the sides with painters tape to keep it together while the glue dries.  When all sides are done, you should have something like this.

Yes, that's the grout stirring paddle in the background!

Step 7: Find some light source to donate it's guts to your new lantern!  I picked this one up from H4H for $5.

Step 8: After I took the H4H light apart I attached eyelet screws on the corners of my frame cube and ran chain I had from a previous project (like 3 years ago) from the eyelet screw to the ring on the top of the H4H light.  Spray painted it all black and install. 


Here is the light that was there before: GAG!!

 

And Now:

 Thank you again to Remodelaholic for letting me guest post!!

-Make your life beautiful!