Repurposed Solar Light Mushrooms

by Jan's Garden Art

3 Materials

$0.00

Easy

I bought these cute little solar lights in the shape of mushrooms a couple of years ago at a dollar store ($1/each). As solar lights tend to do - these stopped working - the cells are on the INSIDE of the mushroom. The mushrooms fill with water every time it rains - that has caused shorts and rust and made them unusable as lights. But they were too cute and in too good of shape to get rid of just yet...
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repurposed solar light mushrooms, gardening, repurposing upcycling

Any of the solar cells that were still attached, I removed them. I then thoroughly cleaned the tops and bottoms in soapy water with a scrubby and a toothbrush to make sure any/all dirt was removed. Really check the "tracks" where the two pieces go together. I'm being honest - I missed some and had to do it all again (that's what brought out the toothbrush - works great on the "tracks").

I left this *1* solar cell attached - because it still works and I'm curious to see what happens at night! :D

I sprayed them all with Krylon Fusion Spray Paint (made for plastic). I had some leftover from a previous project.

I painted all of the circles with red enamel that I happened to have extra. Let them dry overnight.

Put them back together and placed a few around the yard.

On either side of my Strawberries.

And a couple in front of Fiona.

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3 questions

Rebecca on Jun 18, 2016
What are "Fiona" made from? It looks like smaller tires.

1
Kitty McCarty on Jun 19, 2016
how did the one solar light work out? precious idea!

3
Donna on Jun 19, 2016
If you don't have enamel handy for the dots/bumps I'm wondering if nail polish would work. I've used it a couple of times as paint when I needed a small amount.

1

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2 of 30 comments

Bettye Johnson on Jun 20, 2016
CUTE!!!!!!!!

2 Reply
Cat bollerud on Jun 24, 2016
Most solar lights now come with rechargeable batteries; although it's a good idea to get the ones specifically made for solar lights. They produce a different voltage from the regular rechargeable batteries, and are engineered to actually recharge themselves from the sunlight that they absorb during the day. I have found them at Menards in nearby Janesville, Wi. You might want to check your local big box lumber and hardware store. Don't know if the smaller hardware stores carry them, and haven't found them yet into Big Lots. Nice job making something cool out of what most people would just toss.

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