Monday 18 June 2012

DIY Solar Lights

My dog likes to eat my solar lights. What an asshole! I needed to find a way to stop him from doing that, so I made these. adorable, eh?



A few people have asked me how I made them, so here's my tutorial. Enjoy!

I found a ton of cheap LED solar lights on sale for $1 each at Canadian Tire
I only want the top part.  The rest gets recycled. 

These lights have a couple of little screws in the top.  I take those out so that the light can dangle a bit. 

I found these airtight jars at the dollar store.  (I have since found out that they're not quite airtight and moisture can get in there.  It hasn't caused any real problems, but I may just use a sealant around the lids when I have the chance. 

Glue the top of the solar unit to the jars.  I used J-B Weld, but I'm sure crazy glue would be just as effective. 

Let them dry.  Trust me on this one and don't mess with them until they are completely dry.  I lead an impatient life!  *sigh*
Once they're dry, you can spray paint them.  You can see the can of spray in the previous picture.  It's called "frosted glass" by Rust-Oleum.  It works really well.  You just need to lightly spray the jar and wait a few minutes... Then you see it changing .  Awesomeness!
*NOTE*  Do not spray the lid of the jar otherwise the sun won't charge your lights!


I chose to add some scrapbook sticker letters onto some of my jars before spraying them.  I love how they turned out and they make super-cute personalized gifts for friends and neighbors!


I took some aircraft cable to a few jars and have them hanging in the plum tree in the back yard.  It looks so neat at night time.  They are a lot harder for my dog to get at when they're out of his reach.  ;)


I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did!  Total cost per light (if you get the materials on sale like I did), $3.00


























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