What’s the first thing you do when you move to a new place? Get some things to make it like home of course! Off to the nearest home improvement store I went to get some solar lights for the front yard. I placed them in the front near the sidewalk and admired them for a short time. The next morning I leave the house only to discover that in the 12 hours they have been up, one solar light has been unceremoniously smashed (or kicked) and is not a broken pile of glass and plastic. Two others were knocked down but usable, so I righted them and cleaned up the broken glass. Not even 6 months later I would find all my solar lights, one by one, smashed and broken.
Of the 4 only 2 were salvageable. The solar light part still worked, but the stem, the glass covering, were both smashed and broken. I couldn’t waste these lamps, surely there was something I could do to fix them, right? Then it came to me: Mason Jars. The savior of just about everything! Upcycling your broken solar slights into upcycled solar mason jar lamps is easy, you don’t need ANY tools, and it takes less than half an hour to do! Don’t throw out those broken solar lights, upcycle them instead!
How to Make Upcycled Solar Mason Jar Lamps
Materials:
- 1 Mason Jar (With Lid) for Each Solar Lamp
- Something sticky to stick your lamp to the jar lid with (I used the sticky part of a Command strip hook, you can also try super glue or hot glue)
Steps:
1 | Remove any Broken Glass (Carefully!!)
Use gloves to avoid getting cut. Carefully remote any broken glass from your solar lamp and put in your glass recycling. Do be careful, mine broken into many small shards and I did cut myself cleaning up the broken glass mess outside. So be cautious!
2 | Remove the Solar Lamp From the stem
Remote your solar lamp part from the plastic stem. This part was really easy for my lights, I just had to pop it off the plastic stem!
3 | Ready Your Mason Jar
You’ll need one solar light for each mason jar. Each mason jar will also need a lid. You will be putting your light onto the underside of the lid so that it then screws onto the jar and the jar acts as the new protective glass shell.
4 | Stick the solar light to the Lid
Take your solar light and stick it to your lid. I used the sticky portion of a Command strip for this, but you could also use hot glue or maybe even super glue. You can just set it there, but it will move around if you move your lamp so I do recommend securing it somehow.
5 | Put the lit on the Mason Jar
Screw your lid with the solar light attached and you’re done! Wasn’t that easy?!
Upcycled solar mason jar lamps make the perfect accent lights for your patio table or you can place them along your patio or walk ways! I use mine on my patio table for extra lighting and ambiance. They are the perfect addition to your patio setup and made from items you probably have on hand. Next time your solar lights meet an unfortunate demise, don’t throw them away! upcycle them!
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