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Monday, April 1, 2013

You Light Up My Life

Solar power lights were the next best invention since chocolate chips. With some energy from the sun they light up our gardens, paths, sun porches and more.

I already wrote a tutorial on how to make some lovely garden/deck/ porch lights. After reading a post one of my clever friends on the Silhouette Plus forum wrote we ended up having quite a bit of conversation about these great little lights. She uses them as night lights and to light her Silhouette Cameo made luminaries. Later, she sent me  a link to some jar lids that could be purchased at $10.99 a lid....whew! not for this frugal crafter. I grabbed one of the solar lights I had laying around, grabbed a Ball jar and tried to see if it would fit into the ring of the jar. Alas, none of the ones I had on hand would fit into the Ball ring lid openings. I didn't give up. Next, I found a Kerr jar. They have larger ring lid openings...tada! with adding just a little grosgrain ribbon to the edge of the solar light; it fit nicely into the ring lid of the Kerr jar.

I love the old Blue Ball Jars a dear friend of mine gave me and I want to make some nice screw on lids for all of them I had some pint Ball jars laying around so I thought I would use them for experimenting. Today, I went to Walmart with the Ball ring lid stashed in my purse. I found a $1.97 solar light which fit almost perfect inside the opening. When I returned home, I plugged in my trusty hot glue gun, grabbed a snip of grosgrain ribbon and began my experimentation.

First I unscrewed the solar light so I would just have the light portion of the solar light. I hot glued the ribbon around the edge of the light. The next step was to place some hot glue around the ribbon edged light and fit it into the Ball ring lid. Be extra careful on this part. You want it to be as level as you can get it. Another...TADA! it will fit nice and snug and is ready for you to screw the lid to the top of the jar and do some embellishing. I have a bunch of this and thats laying around so I grabbed snips of ribbon, lace, flower petals, Christmas and Mardi Gras beads and hot glued away. Hot glue guns are the next best thing to solar lights. :)

Are you ready to light up your life. Well, how about a night light for your bathroom, bedroom, or some other room you just want or need a little light. I have so many blue Bar jar lights on my screened in porch; my daughter says it looks like fairy land. I hardly ever turn on the porch light when I sit out there in the night time hours.

The great thing about making these lights with the screw on lids is; you can make them your own with your choice of embellishments. The lids are a part of the jar so you don't have to pay something like $10.99 for a lid. You can get the solar lights for very little and save a little on your electric bill.


Lid Close-Up


Kerr Jar with larger light


Ball Jar with smaller light but the same brightness


Kerr Jar Experiment 1








7 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this idea! I have cases of old blue jars,and I'm always looking for a new idea to use them. I see many of them glowing in the near future,LOL!!!

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  2. You do fit a lot into your day, Debbie. A very clever idea to add a bit of light around the house at little expense.
    Tine :)

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  3. Debbie -- I've been reading (and dreaming) about these over at the forum. You did a great job! Love, love, love the idea. Thanks.

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  4. Debbie, you are so clever! I guess I will have to ask my husband to take me to the next Do-it-yourself right away lol. I love solarlights and yours are so pretty!

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  5. Cool idea, on my long list of things I want to try.

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  6. What a great idea. Wal-mart for the solar lights...love the idea.

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  7. Love it! I have lots of old jars. Need wide mouth lids for lots of Balls, Mason and Kerrs, waiting on thirft store finds. Hope we haven't tossed all the solars my puppy has broken the post off with her cable and lovely playful self! Here is a DIY I want to try to color jars that would work great with this. http://www.diyinspired.com/diy-colored-glass-tutorial/

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