Just because solar lighting is about clean energy, doesn’t mean it has to be boring. You can give your garden, pathways, or just your whole outdoors a lively, fresh look. But I don’t have the money,” you might think. Guess what? It doesn’t have to be expensive.
Some of these brilliant DIY ideas will save you money if you have an event such as a wedding or a birthday in your backyard.
Here are some great DIY ideas that only use cheap materials, some of which you can find in your home. The result will be beautiful, environment-friendly lighting that will leave your neighbors wondering how you did it. What’s more? You can create fun lighting outdoors without electrical wires crisscrossing each other, which can be messy.
Check Out These Unique DIY solar light plans
1. Glass Jar Solar Lamp
It’s probably one of the oldest ideas in the book. After all, solar lights are often made with glass. The concept uses three items you can easily find in a home: A glass jar, cardboard, and masking tape.
The glass jar is an excellent choice if you want to light a small area. But, if you have time, you could make more and illuminate a larger space.
2. Jack-O-Lantern Lights
Halloween is over, and you don’t know what to do with your Jack-o-lantern. Well, here’s an idea. Make a solar light.
The solar light goes inside the Jack-o-lantern to give you that Halloween feel.
It absorbs light the whole day and gives you that glow at night. What’s more? It will give your garden that cool Halloween look even after the holiday is over.
3. Diy Mason Jar Solar Light
You can never run out of ideas when it comes to mason jars. Just like the glass jar, this idea gives you the closest feel to actual solar light.
This idea’s beauty is that you can play with different colors of light because mason jars come in various colors. You can hang them on hooks, place them on a dry surface, or whichever place works for you.
4. Diy Solar Bottle Bulb
Recycling plastics takes on a new meaning with this solar bottle bulb idea. If you’re a little bit handy with the tools, or you want to learn some new skills, this idea might be for you.
The solar light bulb can be an excellent way to light your shed.
5. Solar Mushroom Lighting
If you’re looking to light your flower garden, then mushrooms made from frosted lampshades are a brilliant idea.
You can buy some frosted lampshades which won’t cost you much, or if you have some at home, even better.
However, if you want a little bit more action, you can build the mushroom lampshade from scratch using the glassware in your home.
6. Reuse an Old Candle Holder to Make a Solar Light
If you’re tight on cash, this idea is excellent for you. You can either use one candle holder or get a candelabrum.
This option is suitable for outdoor dinners because you can have the candle holder as a centerpiece on your table.
7. Solar Bottle Light
Used bottles do the trick in this DIY creation. To give this plan a vibrant look, you can get LED lights of different colors. However, you can also settle for uniformly colored lights, depending on the look you want.
These lights are great for the set of steps in your garden.
8. Solar Light On a Jar Lid
Again, mason jars come in handy with this idea. This plan works this way. You stick the solar light through the jar lid and put the pebbles inside the jar. You can choose to put pebbles of whichever color you like so that whenever the light bounces off them, it creates beautiful lighting.
9. Orb Lighting
Does your patio need lighting, and it has to be the clean energy type? Then, these orb lights are the perfect match for you.
Orb lights are fantastic because you can hang them on trees. Not only is it an excellent way to light up places, but also when you’re on your patio or backyard, you’ll be feeling like you’re sitting under a starry sky.
Get the steps here.
10. Reuse an Old Indoor Lamp
It’s probably the most straightforward plan out there. You probably have a stylish indoor lamp lying around, and you’ve been wondering what to do with it. An indoor lamp already has specifications that are almost similar to an original solar light. So, why not use one to place your solar lamp.
Here is how.
11. Diy Solar Light Chandelier
Isn’t this idea the most excellent way to take your indoor look outside? This lighting plan is not only cheap, but it also takes you only a few minutes to make.
The beauty of it is that you can hang as many lights as your chandelier can hold to make your DIY unit shine brightly.
You can also do this idea using mason jars. Just make each mason jar solar light, like discussed earlier, then hang them together. Be sure to get a strong cord as they can be more massive than bulbs.
12. DIY Lampshade
Twigs are everywhere; what else would you do with them besides sweep and throw them out? Wrong. You can make a beautiful earthy-looking lampshade from twigs and an inflatable ball.
The exciting bit about this project is that it will also be fun and safe for kids.
Get the instructions here.
13. Build a Clay Pot Lighthouse Solar Light
Clay pots are not just decorative items for your gardens. You can also make a lighthouse with them. This solar lighting idea involves stacking up clay pots of different sizes to create a lighthouse.
You can make one lighthouse or many. Clay pot solar lights are great for lighting different corners of your garden.
Here’s how to make them.
14. The Solar Address Sign
This solar lighting idea not only spruces up your front yard, but it’s also a neat way of directing guests to your home at night. You can hang it from a shepherd hook or place it on a high bench.
All you need is a large shadow box or an old solar light kit in which you’ll place everything.
See the tutorial here.
15. Solar Milk Jug Lights
This is a fun idea that can bring out the inner child in you. Once you’re done with your milk jugs, wash them and make cool, goofy solar lights with them.
With this plan, you can paint whatever you like on the milk jugs. Once they light up at night, they can either be spooky or funny, depending on what you painted on them.
What’s more, this plan will last you till Halloween as it will make a great addition to your spooky decor ideas.
Here’s how to make them.
16. Make a Tin Can Solar Lamp
It’s a simple idea that won’t take much of your time. So you’ll use a tin of your preferred size and make holes in it.
The most striking thing about this idea is that you can get as creative as you want by drilling holes of different sizes and shapes to create a lovely pattern.
You can hang them on trees or your deck.
Get the full tutorial here.
17. Flowerpot Solar Light Planter
Another great garden idea is the flower pot solar light planter. You can plant one or more lights inside your pile of stacked flower pots.
The result is a beautiful tower with a light that shines through your flowers at night.
Get more information here.
18. Fairy Lanterns Solar Lights
This is another great mason jar idea that you can use to bring fairy lanterns to life. All you need to do is to stuff fairy lights into the jars. Get that magical night whenever you light them.
19. Recycle a Solar Lamp
You probably have old solar lamps in your garage. Some of their parts may still work, which gives you a fantastic opportunity to build your solar light using these.
The best part about rebuilding an old solar lamp is that you have an example to follow. Recycling will then be easy, and you can tweak it here and there to your taste.
Get more information here.
20. Tree Lighting Plan
This idea is fun and artsy. You build a tree using bottles. If you want to add color, pick various types of bottles. But, you can also stick to one theme. For example, if you’re thinking of placing this light in your garden, you can use all-green bottles to give the effect of glowing plants.
Check out the plan here.
Conclusion
Whether you’re working on a tight budget or you want to enjoy building your solar lights, there are many options out there. We have highlighted the best ones in this article.
The beauty of it is that, like all DIY projects, you’ll enjoy bringing these ideas to life. And some of these are educational for your kids, while others are just a fun project for the whole family.
Go ahead and give one a try.
