Mason Jar Solar Lights
Using just three materials and a wee bit of time you will quickly have stylish mason jars to light up the garden or patio on these late summer nights.
Materials
- mason jars with rings
- stake solar light
- double sided foam tape or glue
Directions
1. The most challenging this project will ever get is finding the solar lights that have removable tops and the pretty mason jars to fit them. This took me all of 10 minutes. I bought the lights at a grocery store for $2 each and have a large collection of jars that I sorted through until I found the right ones.
2. As the solar light was a bit smaller than the mason jar ring, I used a piece of double sided foam tape to make it just a smidge wider and it fit inside perfectly.
3. Don’t remove the paper off the other side of the tape so that the light can be removed from the jar. There is often an on/off switch on the light that you will still want to access. Alternatively, glue the light to the top inside of the ring to make a solid cap that can be removed.
4. Set out in the sun for 4-8 hours and your new jars will light up the night. I particularly love the reflection of the label on the wood below.
As a side note, check out how cool the moon is. While it was difficult to get a clear photo, the huge full moon was kind enough to pose in the perfect spot for these pictures.
Thanks for visiting Weekend Project #49. See all the previous projects by clicking the tab at the top of this page.
Update: For those of you who have been asking here is a collection of pretty mason jars if you can’t find the antique ones. There is also a company who makes solar lids specifically for mason jars – who knew!?
If you liked this project, you will LOVE these homemade citronella CANdles! Check out how to make them here.
I love this idea! We have a screen house with no electricity and this would be a perfect way to light it up.
Those are way cute. Thanks for sharing.
I am so totally going to try this.
Such a neat idea! Now….to find those solar lights! I might have to save this project until the spring, since that’s when the lights are more readily available. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Stopping by from Funky Junk’s SNS. ~Cindy
I saw these this morning and ran to Wal-Mart for small solar lights. 97 cents per. Used pint jars and these turned out sooooooooooooo cute. Thanks!
Love these so much. Thanks for the directions on how to make them.
A great idea to add to the many others you’ve come up with. It’s so simple but such a good idea. I will definitely have to try this later, I have millions of jars as I always hold on to them but never usually find a use for them. They come in a range of colours as well which may be fun to play around with when doing this project.
Thanks for sharing,
James @ Capital Gardens
Well this is a really cool idea – pinning it and can’t wait to give it a go when I get back home to AZ.
Amazing use of the Mason jars. So practical, rustic and energy saving. You should create more ways to display the lighted jars!
absolutely love this idea…..
This is SO.COOL.!
Please add this post to our blog hop, Eat Make Grow!
http://pocketpause.com/eat-make-grow-blog-hop-6/
I am pinning and bookmarking this post to make this Winter!
(sorry for all the exclamation points. haha)
Neat idea! I’m going to try this but I think I’m going to fill the jars with colored glass stones around the light to soften the glow a bit and add a spot of color.
This is a great idea- going to give it a try!
Love your solar jars! I shared them today on my blog. This month is all about scraps. Extra jars are scrap, right?
Love these! Thanks for sharing. I would like t see how they look & work with colored glass beads in them.
The dollar stores currently have solar lights for a dollar each that come apart easily.
these are so adorable so glad u shared this with everyone got to look for some odd jars and get started would love to put them out on my deck also
how did you cut the square holes in the lids? The picture of the completed light shows a square in the lid so the can recharge……. Seems that a step in the instructions is missing!
Hi Marianne, no holes were cut in the lid. The square is the solar panel that is on top of the store-bought light. All the steps are there. Just buy a light that fits in a mason jar ring and attach. Easy peasy.
I made these last summer and I’ve loved them(anything in a mason jar I love), but I have had problems with rain getting inside. I tried hot glue(wouldn’t stick)inside the rings. I never thought of putting double sided tape around the lights themselves. Thanks for the idea! One thing I noticed also, is that all those lights are not created equal, even when they’re the same style of lights. Some of mine fit snug and other just fall out, so the tape is an excellent idea. Thanks again!
I tinted clear Ball Jars aqua, but you can do any color. Mod Podge, food coloring, oven. I love them.
I tried this idea but even though the light was way smaller than the lid, it would not go into the top of the jar, even without the tape.
Hi Susan, yes, that is the tricky part. I’m lucky to have an enormous mason jar collection…the ones I used fit a 78mm ring lid. It’s not as common of a size with the new jars which are typically either 70mm or 83mm, but they are still sold. Luckily there have been a number of others who were successful in finding a match, so if you have a few jars in mind, bring them shopping with you next time you look for solar lights. I hope you find the right match!
Hello! Just wanted to let you know that I will be featuring this project on the front page of looksisquare.com (a new submission-based website) for my Looksi Takeover day featuring my favorite mason jar projects from around blog land! :) The project will linked back to your site. I hope you will check us out and maybe even submit a few projects as well!
Sincerely,
Evey
You are so interesting! I don’t think I’ve read through anything like that before.
So wonderful to discover another person with some genuine thoughts on this subject.
Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This site is one
thing that’s needed on the internet, someone with some originality!
The dogs always chew up my solar lights so I might try just placing a jar upside down over them . The light would come through the glass and it would be hard for the dogs to ruin them.
Did you have to cut the metal pegs off the lights?
Hi Shelly, no they just unscrewed.
I’ve found lights at the dollar store, & jars at that store that starts with a W. lol
Total spent per light 1.79!
I used outdoor frost spray paint to paint the inside lightly and glued a colored christmas bulb over the L.E.D light.
Bam…multi colored lights for our party.
Oh I used clear caulk around the outside of the solar panel to keep water from getting inside.
Great in a power outage too!
hello love these ideas.
I just luv hearing about all these new ideas ….thnx for sharing :)
To the liking of country folks I will have to show this to my friends
If you have dollar stores where you live they have several types of solar lights for $1.00. There are the stake types and then little ones that look like rocks. so fun. I use them on my back balcony around my balcony garden…It looks so pretty when I am in my bed looking out on the garden.
Marbles would look nice inside the Mason jars. I have lots of marbles already, but if you don’t have any, they can be purchased via the net. Great idea!
I wanted to make these but have a issue with water getting in all my solar lights that have globes or containers around them (even with store bought solar globes that are $99 each!), so I was wondering how one could keep rain out. Many thanks to the person who suggested using clear calk around the rim of the jar and the top of the light! My kids and I are going to make some this week for our patio.
For the person wanting too make them water tight, try plumbers tape on the threads of the jar before you screw lids on.
You can buy the garden lights at Wal Mart for $0.97 a piece. This is a lot cheaper than the lids made with solar lights.
… really… i thought it would be a diy solar light… not a walmart light stuck in a mason jar… these solar lights have so many useful parts inside (for the price) just adding putting them in a jar is almost an insult to the $1 solar panel… as an example I offer my solar powered laser (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTwxM-sjVPY) yes thats my video and I made that laser… it has an output near 1W when fully charged…
if people wanted to have a solar light… why not just buy the $1 solar light… why bother with the extra cost of the jar… the jar costs more than the light…
Because, Jimmy, with the jar you can add wire and hang the light on a hook or tree branch. The solar lights you buy are intended to be stuck in the ground. Basically the jars allow for different levels of light.
I’ve been doing these solar light projects for a few years now and absolutely love seeing them glow after hours. Great post!