DIY PROJECT

- Ornamental lighthouse.

You will need

•1 x 27cm terracotta pot

•1 x 19cm terracotta pot

•1 x 15cm terracotta pot

•1 x 11cm terracotta pot

•1 x 15cm terracotta saucer

•1 x 150mm solar path light

• High-strength outdoor flexible adhesive

• Painters masking tape

• Resene Quick Dry Waterborne Primer Undercoat

Paint colours

• Resene Eighth Black White Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel

• Resene Bondi Blue

• Resene Black

• Resene FX Faux Rust Effect

Tools

• Caulking gun to apply adhesive

• Paintbrushes

• Screwdriver or hacksaw to remove solar light stem

Cost: $60 for new pots – check the fit as they need to nest together securely. Price excludes Resene products.

I wanted to emulate one of my favourite film directors, Wes Anderson, and totally embrace the miniatures vibe, decorating my lighthouse with stones and ageing it with rust-effect paint.

Step 1

Glue the pots together and stack them up. Glue the saucer to the top.

Step 2

Unscrew or cut off the stem of the solar light. Glue it to the centre of the saucer.

Step 3

Prime and paint on your base colour (I used white). Wait for it to dry.

Step 4

Paint on your second colour (maritime factoid: lighthouses are often painted more than one colour to locate and distinguish them during daylight hours). Mask the stripes using painters tape, and then paint the second colour (I used blue).

Step 5

Mask and then paint the windows and door (I used black).

Step 6

For extra detail, I glued rocks to the base and around the windows. I used disposable wooden cutlery to make a little wooden door.

Step 7

To age my lighthouse, I used Resene FX Faux Rust Effect paint for a rusty weather-beaten look. Paint the Rust Effect into the recessed areas or where water would naturally collect or run off but remember, less is more.

Video

See “flowerpot lighthouse” on play. stuff.co.nz/page/diygardenprojects.