Thursday, June 17, 2010

How to make garden patio lighting for free














© Copyright 2010 Tomitheos Photography - All Rights Reserved

"You can make dozens of garden and patio lamps at no cost!"

Deter bugs and save on decor items for your next outdoor party by beautifying your yard, garden and patio with joyful charming color and light.

Supplies for this project are free at stores and simple or easy to find,
some reusable items can be obtained from your own recycling bin.


WHAT YOU NEED:

* paint can wooden stir-sticks
* corks from wine bottles
* empty clear plastic pop bottles
* empty yellow plastic yogurt cups
* glue, tape or spray adhesive
* outdoor Christmas lights
- or you can buy up to 50 led lights for under $20 at madscience.com


HERE IS HOW:

STEP 1
Decorate the the empty yellow yogurt cup with pin holes and adhere like a hat on each empty clear plastic pop bottle.
note: I recommend the color yellow so that the lantern will act as a bug light to deter garden insects but you can use multiple colors for festive events or parties, I also prefer a round spherical pop bottle so that the appearance is aesthetically realistic to the store purchased designs.


STEP 2
Use the tip of a pencil to make a hole an inch below the tip of the paint can stir sticks then drill a hole or punch a hole so you can string the lights and mount the clear plastic bottle that will act as a light bulb.
note: if the hole is too big, the lights will slip out so it is better to make the hole small and enlarge as needed.

STEP 3
Secure the distance of the bottle from the stick by slicing the cork in the desired length and use it as a washer.


STEP 4
Make sure the light are working before assembly, string though the hole on the stick before adhering the plastic bottle with its yogurt cup hat.


STEP 5
As you string your assembled lights across the garden, place each one in the ground with the plug end of the string of lights towards the direction of the outlet and allow the wire to nestle on the landscape between plants for camouflage.
note: you can mimic this assembly design and alter it accordingly for overhead hanging patio lanterns by just omitting the ground sticks.

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