Indoor Tiki Lanterns

Marc Erick
by Marc Erick
6 Materials
$3
3 Hours
Easy
If you've seen some of my other posts, you see I love working with sand...everytime we go to the beach I bring a bucket home with me ☺ . At my restaurant, we are starting a 'Tiki Tuesday ' night . I often hand-make decor items for the restaurant, be it inside or outside. This is what I came up with for our Tiki night. These would also be great for a Tiki themed party, beside a pool or on your patio during the summer months! These are completely upcycled too!
These are the materials I used: a jar- I used 16oz salsa jars, sand, tacky glue or modge podge, rope or twine, permanent glue (e600), battery operated lights and/or candles, tiki picture - many available on Google images, a stand- i used a stand from a broken cake pedestal and some old couch legs, a sharpie paint pen (white) and sea shells.
Begin by removing all labels and left over adhesive from the jar, wash and dry. Select a picture that fits nicely in the center of the jar and print it on glossy photo paper. Not-so-perfectly cut around the picture. Coat it with a thin layer of tacky glue or modge podge .
Center the picture inside the jar and secure. I used a burnisher to gently smooth it out. The glue will dry clear and don't worry about any excess glue around the picture, it will all be hidden. Allow to dry.
Next, coat the entire outside of the jar and lid with tacky glue. ..except the bottom, top rim and where the picture is showing.
Dredge the jar and lid in the sand... I used a frozen dinner tray to hold the sand. Gently tap the jar to remove excess sand and allow to dry completely.
Once it's completely dry, apply a layer of tacky glue ...this will seal it up and add a nice shine.
If you have extra glue or sand around the picture or rim, never fear! Just use a scraping tool or tweezers to scrape it away. ..
Add some shells to the lid...
Now for the stand...I used a pedestal from a broken cake stand for the one in the picture and old couch legs for the rest of them. Depending on what shape the pedestal is in, you may want to paint it or distress it. The ones I used were in pretty good shape so I decided to just accent them with a white sharpie paint pen and added some shells.
Next glue twine or rope to around the bottom of the jar and around the top lip. Allow to dry.
Using permanent glue (e6000) attach the jar to the stand and allow to dry. I made some with pedestals and left some without. Pop in a light. ..for the restaurant, I use battery operated tealights, but you could use real candles. ..just be sure to leave the lid off!
I wish the picture did the lamps justice, they really are striking in person ☺ Perhaps once I have them placed in the restaurant, I'll share another pic...
I hope you enjoyed this project and it adds a little homemade pizzazz to your next tiki party!
Suggested materials:
  • Jars   (Already had/ recycled)
  • Sand   (The beach)
  • Tacky glue   (Acmoore)
See all materials
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
 2 comments
Next