DIY Dollar Tree race track arched lantern

Hello Sweet Friends,

You’ve probably seen several different tutorials of the Dollar Tree race track lanterns going around on social media. I wish I could give credit to whoever first came up with this clever idea. Anyway, I wanted to show you my version of it. So here goes!

Supplies needed for DIY Lantern

two Dollar Tree race tracks
square wooden base
jewel border stickers
metal jar lid
finial
nut and bolt
scissors
glue gun and E6000
Waverly white chalk paint, antique wax and paint brush
battery-operated candle and other embellishments

Begin this project by assembling the parts together. The square base I used was actually a dinosaur sign from Dollar Tree that I laid flat on the table so it became a “tray”. I applied the peel-and-stick jewel border stickers to the backs of the race tracks for an interesting texture, leaving an open spot in the middle in which to drill a hole. I criss-crossed the race tracks, bent them, and glued them to the base with hot glue and E6000.

I had to enlist the help of my husband for this next step. He drilled a hole through the race tracks and through the round metal lid. Then he had to replace the threaded stud in the finial with one that has standard threads on one end and wood threads on the other end. Then attached the wooden finial through the lid and tracks, and secured it with a nut and washer. (Hope that all made sense because I didn’t really understand; if it had been up to me, I probably would have just used my glue gun.)