DIY Coastal Rope Lantern

Thanks for Sharing!

Make a coastal rope lantern to bring the beach to your home. Learn how to craft this easy coastal decor project from a thrift store lantern. I love all things coastal! When I found this beautiful teal lantern I knew it just needed a little love.

Let me show you what I started with. It’s a super cute lantern, it just had a handle that wasn’t attached.

Supplies Needed:

Affiliate links are provided for your convenience.

• old lantern
• rope – I used 1/2″ thick jute rope
• glue gun
• glue stick

The lantern I purchased had the handle sitting inside with the nuts missing to hold it in place. So my first job was to search my nut drawer to see if I had 2 nuts that would fit. Thankfully I did! The screws were still there so I only needed the nuts. I got the handle attached and snug before I moved on to the rope addition.

Add Rope

I had a piece of rope on hand already from previous projects. I pulled out the hot glue gun and let the glue start to heat up while I decided where I wanted to add the rope. I knew I wanted a rope handle, so I decided to start with that.

I used a dab of hot glue to the end of the rope so it would unravel. Then I put a dot of hot glue onto the bottom of the handle on the  inside and then took the end of the rope and pressed it to the glue.

TIP: Have a bowl of cool water nearby when working with hot glue. If the glue gets stuck on your fingers you can plunge your finger into the cool water to stop the burning.

I let the glue dry for a minute before I start to wrap the rope around the handle. I add an inch strip of glue to the handle and wrap the rope around that section. Then I add some more wrapping of the rope. I would put a line about an inch of glue, wrap. Then wrap another inch without glue underneath. Then put another inch of glue, and wrap around it. Then another inch of rope without the glue under. I just kept repeating the process until the handle was covered. You definitely could put glue over the whole handle, but I didn’t think it was necessary.

Once I got to the end of the other side of the handle I cut the rope and added a dab of hot glue to the end of the rope. I let it dry for a minute before adding a dot of glue to the inside of the handle and pressed the end of the rope to it. I held it there for a minute to make sure it didn’t unravel. 

Then I stood back and looked at the lantern. I loved it with the handle covered but I wanted to add a little more rope. I didn’t want to cover the teal color because I loved that, so I decided to put some rope around the top of the glass jar, that way it would peak up above the teal metal on top.

For this section I used hot glue all the way around the rim of the jar. I would squeeze a line of glue a couple inches long, then press the rope down on top of it. I repeated until I finished all around the top.

I hope you’re inspired to add a coastal rope lantern to your home decor. I think they are great all year round or you can just use them in your summer decorating. This one is on my mantel for now but it might eventually go on my front porch, or it could be part of a beautiful centerpiece for summer.

What to put in a lantern

• candles (real or LED)
• sand and seashells
• pieces of driftwood
• plant (turn it into a planter)

Coastal Lanterns I love

Other Rope Projects

• Rope Hanging Shelf for Succulents
• Nautical Rope Coasters
• Nautical Rope Candlestick
• How to Make Macramé Plant Hanger

Make sure to check out the rest of great thrift store makeovers this month from the team.

Upcycled Lamp Parts Candle Holder  Petticoat Junktion

Coastal Rope Lantern Domestically Speaking

Displaying Vintage Valentines With Yardsticks  Organized Clutter

Embellishing a Pair of Valentine Pillows Sadie Seasongoods

Valentine Heart Mantle Decor Shop At Blu

Easy DIY Rustic Light Fixtures Reinvented Deleware

Succulent Wall Planter Using a Picture Frame  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

DIY Painted Suitcase My Repurposed Life