Lighthouses are cool. You can use them to create a theme for a party or just to decorate your sea-theme bathroom. If you purchase ceramic or resin lighthouses youll spend a pretty penny, thats for sure. But why purchase the lighthouses when its so easy to make different ones by yourself? Think you dont have the talent for making lighthouses? Think again! Its very easy to make lighthouses and each one will look completely different.
Choose a selection of terra cotta pots to create the lighthouses. Youll decide what size you want it to be, so youll decide what sizes you need. Youll need four pots, each one being slightly smaller than the next, and sizes that will easily stack together. For example, to make a really small lighthouse, stack a two-inch, three-inch, four-inch and five-inch pot on top of each other.
Start by using a terra cotta plate. Paint it the main color you want for your lighthouse - well say red. Each pot should be painted white, with the band of the pot painted red, except for the smallest pot. It should be painted a solid color, like black. Use only one coat of white paint to make the lighthouse look weathered. Or, use several coats to give the appearance of a brand new lighthouse. The plate you use should be somewhat larger than the mouth of the largest pot. Lay the plate on a flat surface, place the large pot upside-down on it, then begin stacking the other pots. Youll use a chosen adhesive to glue the pots together. Shop for the glue at a home improvement or craft store. Ask an assistant to help you find an adhesive thats appropriate for terra cotta. As you stack and glue the pots allow the adhesive to dry for each one before adding the next. Before gluing on the fourth pot glue on another terra cotta plate. The plate should be only slightly larger than the mouth of the smallest pot. When the plate adhesive has dried, glue the last terra cotta pot on top, upside-down. The basic lighthouse is now complete. Now you can paint and otherwise embellish it. Use black paint to create a short, wide stripe down one side of the large pot. This will represent the door and will become the front of the lighthouse. Now make two smaller rectangles, above and on each side of, the door. These will become the windows for the lighthouse. Instead of paint you can purchase miniature doors and windows in the dollhouse section of a craft store. These can be glued to the terra cotta pots to create a more realistic look. Glue a trinket of some sort on top of the lighthouse. The trinket can be a bell, a glass lid from an old percolator, or even a round drawer pull. There are any number of things that can be used to further decorate the lighthouse. Glue raffia around the bottom plate and glue on seashells and starfish. Make lots of different lighthouses simply by changing the colors of paint and the sizes of the pots. Use assorted craft supplies to decorate around the bottom, and create a unique look for each lighthouse. The finished lighthouses can be few or many. They look great on shelves, mantles, porches or on the floor. Theyre suitable for kitchens, bathrooms and more. The lighthouses also make great gifts for others who love the sea or have a particular passion for lighthouses. You can make a lightweight version of the lighthouse by using plastic plant pots. If you start with white pots youll only need to paint the bands. Make sure the paint you use will cling to plastics. They now have spray paints made just for plastic objects. Use colorful, disposable plastic plates in place of the terra cotta pots. The plastic plates are available in red, blue, yellow and other colors that will make your lighthouse noticeable. If you cant find a plastic plate large enough for the bottom of the lighthouse just cover the bottom by gluing on raffia and other embellishments. Its fun and easy to make a whole collection of different lighthouses. Get started right away! It takes some time to make hundreds of lighthouses!
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