Solar Garden Lights

5 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Easy

We have very large - 30 feet - arborvitaes that give us privacy at the back of our property. I've always thought they'd look pretty with lights in them, so, naturally, I came up with a plan. I had some Wine Cup Upcycles a few months ago and now I've got a new one!

Here's how I made them.....

You only need a few supplies:

Jute twine, a pair of scissors, solar light top (mine was a broken one), and a wine cup. If you don't have a wine cup, any small jar should work.  

Start by cutting 4 pieces of jute, no smaller than 48 inches. Believe me, I tried and I didn't have enough length to tie the final knot.

Fold the 4 pieces in half and tie a knot with a loop. This will be the loop for hanging your light.

Separate the twine into 4 pairs:

Tie each pair into a knot several inches below the loop you made. Try to keep the knots even.

Now, take a strand from adjoining pairs and tie them into a knot several inches down from the first one, again, keeping them even.

Here's the first one done.

Two done.

Three.

All four done.

Next you need to make the final knot for the cup to sit on. Take all 8 pieces and form one knot.

Your hanger is complete, just add the cup:

I sat the broken solar light on the top and it was a perfect fit.

If your solar lights aren't a perfect fit, you can glue them or use a bead of caulk to keep them in place. The other thing I added was a handful of glass gems to give the cups weight. Since the cups are plastic, I was worried the might 'take flight' in a good wind storm.  Here they are as it was just getting dark:

Another shot in complete darkness:

If these plastic wine cups are not available in your area, I knw of some cute little yogurt cups that would work just as well!

Can you think of a spot in your yard for these? 

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  • Nicole Zientek Nicole Zientek on Aug 12, 2021

    I have 52 (yep, 52) arborvitae lining my back yard 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ But this would make it look so beautiful!!

    I feel as though the branches wouldn’t be able to hold these up though?? It holds well for you?

  • Lori714 Lori714 on Aug 12, 2021

    These are just adorable. Do you have any problem with the solar lights not getting enough sunlight during the day to turn on at night?

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  • Heather Provencher Heather Provencher on Aug 05, 2023

    I think this would also work with baby food jars ... except I think they would be too small for any solar lights that I've found. :'( You could use baby food jars and the same macrame process and fill the jars with water & hang inside near a window to start/grow plant cuttings.


    EDIT: I went back and read some comments... I am thinking the Oui jars are similar in size to baby food jars so -maybe- they -will- work. Or.. I'll have to start eating Oui 😀




  • There are lots of options, Heather. You just have to find the one that works for you. Have fun with it!

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