Clay Pot Lighthouse

I've had an infatuation with lighthouses for years. I've collected decorative items featuring lighthouses and nautical things for some time now.  When I first saw the idea for a clay pot lighthouse back in March I knew I had to make it so I saved some links on my Pinterest Board called "Clay Pot Lighthouses" for inspiration.

Here's my tutorial...

These are only two examples that I saved on Pinterest but the small stone trim gave me inspiration.

First it was glued together (using a 100% silicone caulk) For reference the bottom tray is 14.5 wide.  After spraying the purple on I used painters tape to cover the purple and then the white was painted on.  I cut a paper bag and wrapped the body and taped it to the bottom pot area and then the black paint was sprayed on the tray. The doors and windows I used came from these little sets I found at a store with fairy garden accessories.  The example of the (square) window is the only one I could find to show you because I didn't take a before picture, but anyway I unscrewed the window and used the backside as my front because there were holes on the front side.  The door was kept as is but I built around it with stones to make it appear larger.

I sat outside one day and played with stones and glued them on with the same silicone caulk.

It was laid on the side and supported with towels so I could glue the windows and stones on around the windows.  The silicone is a little slippery at first so you have to wait a bit for it to set up.  Eventually I added more stones  to the door area (it's addictive to play with them) and then went around the edge of the tray with a bunch more.

The top tray area ended up getting more detailed than when I first imagined it all but I'm so happy and grateful for my hubby's help on it.

He used a 3/16th" brass rod cut into 2" pieces, a 1/4” chrome ball bearing that he glued on with epoxy and a very tiny screw set (that he saved from an old electronics project) Using a carbide tip drill he drilled several holes around the perimeter for the chain fence.  

I found a chain in the jewelry area at Michael's that I felt had the right look.  After setting the little posts and figuring out the length of chain to use he screwed it together - then it was spray painted with a gold color and then a clear coat.  The clear color dulled the gold a bit but I liked it and felt it was the best look.

I hunted around to various places and finally found this large round stepping stone to set the lighthouse on.  I didn't want it to be directly on the ground so the paint wouldn't start to erode and it would be splashed with dirt all the time.  The big stone just before it was already there but I did have to dig some plants, relocate them and removed a large pink quartz accent stone to create the setting for the lighthouse.

This will keep it elevated and cleaner.

Did I mention that this lighthouse is maintained by my fairies?  Yup!  That's one of the reasons I chose the purple and white colors instead of the usual red, black, white etc.  My fairy garden is just around the corner- I will show that soon!

I love how the top came out and at night it's real cute!

You can't see them but there are a few extra holes for drainage in the tray.

What's nice is there are batteries that can be changed out in the light fixture so it's not a thruway if it starts to die off which used to happen to the solar path lighting.  We found the pathway light at a big box store.

 The ground sedum is very forgiving.  I just dug a bunch out of the way and then reseated it and it took right off growing again.

There's about $40 into this but you can do it less costly than the path I took.  I am not good at painting things like the doors and windows so when I saw the ready made window and door pieces it knew it was right for me!

I hope you like my Clay Pot Lighthouse!

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