DIY Solar Mason Jar Lantern

Well, the local school had graduation this week and since it has been in the 80's down here for the last few days, I've been dreaming about summer. Part of my summer plans include sprucing up our outdoor living space, and in addition to putting out our hummingbird feeders a little early, I wanted to add some night-friendly ambiance to the deck.

If you attended our wedding (or saw photos) then you know that I'm a little obsessed with lanterns! I wanted solar-powered lighting and I just couldn't justify the price of solar lanterns, so I turned to Pinterest for some ideas. I also cased the local Dollar General and remembered that I live in the South where mason jars are sold year-round and for cheap! So, I came up with a do-it-yourself mason jar lantern using solar garden lights!

I went to the Clifton Dollar General and picked up 12 Golden Harvest pint jars for $7.75 and then headed to Wal-Mart for 12 $1.50 Westinghouse solar lights (we have the same ones in bronze lighting the path to the front door!), double-sided foam tape and floral wire. I grabbed my scissors and wire cutters and got to work!

This picture is so crooked, haha. Use it as an excuse to stretch your neck ;)

First, I took the solar lights apart, saving the stems for another day. I removed the on/off tab to activate the solar panel and screwed the shade back on. I liked the look of the shade but you could definitely do without it.

Next, I wrapped the double-sided foam tape around the bottom of the solar light. I tried wrapping it around the top of the light, but it didn't fit as tightly in the jar. I just fit the light into the jar snugly without unwrapping the second side of the foam tape. I like to keep my options open for re-using the jars in the winter!

Thanks to the foam tape, the light fit perfectly suspended in the jar. I screwed the top on and voila! solar lantern!

I have a few shepherd's hooks on the deck that I wanted to hang my lanterns on, so I fashioned a handle with the floral wire. Basically, I used about 1.5 to 2 feet of floral wire per lantern and cut off the excess at the end. I wrapped the wire around the neck of the jar, keeping it just under the lip. I crossed the wire and brought it around the other side, twisting it to secure that side. I brought the remaining length of wire across the top of the jar, leaving enough length to hang it from my hooks. I looped the wire through the crossed wire on the other side and then twisted the excess.

Now, it's ready to go outside!

I really like the light it gives off, especially the funky pattern from the jar and the shade. I plan to experiment with filling the jars with different things like water beads, glass stones or even just water to anchor the jars -- I don't need them blowing off the deck!

The total cost of each lantern was about $3 - can't beat that! An even cheaper alternative could utilize the $0.97 solar lights at Wal-Mart. They were smaller than the ones I used, so if you decide to go that route, I'd suggest doubling the layer of foam tape.

If you're interested in more of my inspirations, from DIY to style and photography, follow me on Pinterest!

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