Skip to main content

solar lights -re-purposed-


Last summer we gave our tiny back yard a makeover and I went on a mad hunt looking for solar lights.  The big box retailers had some mediocre looking ones with a price that made me cringe and the 'cheap' $5 ones looked, well, cheap...  One day I wondered into the Target clearance area and low and behold, I find end of summer clearance solar lights that had a super contemporary look, $2.50 each!  I bought a bunch and ran home with excitement! 

The extra solar lights sat on the side of the house until today when I was looking at my last DIY project with dismay...  It was supposed to be a wine bottle lamp, with a little glass votive hanging inside the wine bottle...  It took 30 minutes to drill a hole into the votive and I still had to do the other side, not to mention make 6 of them... I got bored and that project went to the unfinished cemetery (aka the garage under a pile of other unfinished projects).

I realized that the long stainless steel body, under the solar light/glass was hollow so I knew I could drill a hole into it.  I drilled on the side that had remenints of the price sticker (because that would be the back side) and I was too lazy to walk 15 feet to get the goo-gone and wipe it off. 
  
                        

 Then I used a washer and bolt on the inside and outside of the body to secure my threaded (3/8") rod.  I also found a plastic tubing that fit perfectly over my threaded rod; aesthetically I thought it would look prettier not seeing the threading.

                        

The bottom of the solar lights had a cap with a hole in it to accommodate the steak.  I'm paranoid about black widows and bugs in general so I thought I'd plug that entry point.  In my mind, I picture a bug motel in each light tower.

                         

 So I got a plastic cover that was sitting in my recycle bin, traced the cap and made a little seal to close up the hole.

                        

I was worried about the solar light being top-heavy so I gathered some rocks from the front yard and filled it up!

                         

 And VIOLA! I now have some cool accents to my bamboo fence, it lights up the yard, it looks pretty and I absolutely LOVE that it's solar!


And just because I'm fascinated with hummingbirds, here's our little friend who comes to visit us throughout the day. 

And here's an evening shot of my solar lights re-purposed and fully functional!

I'd call it a successful day today!
Labels:

Comments

  1. robinOctober 21, 2013 at 10:49 PM

    looks amazing! where did you guys buy the bamboo fencing cover? Has it held up good?

    -Robin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. cody cakesOctober 25, 2013 at 9:10 AM

      Hi Robin! Thanks for stopping by! It's been well over a year having the bamboo fence and it's held up against winter cold, rainy monsoon season, summer 100+ degree heat and dog pee! The only maintenance is giving it a good wipe down with the stain/water sealant once a year. It also puts some color back into the bamboo, as I noticed that it can start to look a little drab, dry and dull after a while.

      It's been a great addition to our yard and I can't imagine having anything else! It's funny because we just bought another home and Eric told me we HAVE to get the bamboo for that yard too!

      I purchased it from Cali bamboo -they have phenomenal products, even stuff to make a deck and gorgeous bamboo flooring! Super nice to work with.

      Here's my other post about putting the bamboo up- DIY! http://www.codycakes.com/2012/09/our-back-yard-project.html?m=1

      Good luck and lmk if you have more questions! -co

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

cheap and easy [temporary] privacy window covering

Who would have knew how many uses there were for GLAD Press'n Seal??  I've never actually purchased or used this before, but decided to copy a neighbor and use it as a temporary privacy window covering.  We ordered shutters and lucky for us, our order lands over two major holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) which gets our installation date in early January.  We've got windows EVERYWHERE in our new house and our next door neighbor can see into our living room window, as can the neighbors from the street... Our shutter company, unfortunately, didn't give us those temporary accordion shades, but some plastic that purely acts as a privacy covering- it prevents people from seeing through however doesn't do much with regards to blocking the sun from shining in.  They only provided them for the bathrooms and master bedrooms [boo].  So much for the other 16 windows in the house... In comes Press'n Seal!  It's sticky on one side and it easily sticks to the w
Post a Comment
Read more

our back yard project

We've always wanted to have a small house party, but felt overwhelmed with just 5 people in the living room.  In comes MY back yard project because I was tired of dust blowing into the house and staring at that ugly cinder block wall...not to mention that project that the previous owners started and never finished (see lower right hand corner of photo below).  Eric took ownership of wanting to decorate and 'spruce up' our living room, making it feel really homey and welcoming.  So MY project was the yard and my vision to make it less drab.  Our yard is teeny-tiny and fits right in with our 3 bedroom, 1200 sq. ft. house.   Our friend had a landscaper do their back yard and he came highly recommended, so we went with them without question.  I wanted pavers, artificial grass and two trees/plants.  The landscaper recommended plants that crawl on the wall in effort to sooth my Issue with the cinder blocks...  I wasn't satisfied...  So I hunted and surfed the web for
2 comments
Read more

Instant Pot "help me" handouts - work in progress!!

Happy New Year!! My Instant Pot doodle pages are a work in progress.  I'm working on a few more and trying to get all the handy tips and tricks and what the @#$% is this problems into a doodle format! I'm trying to hurry but we have lots going on with the last of our family visiting from the holidays leaving this week.  I'm trying to take care of our rental unit and find new tenants and of course, keeping the toddler princess occupied and happy.  All the while, trying to have dinner on the table for us after a long day!! I will be selling this on Etsy, however I promise to keep it affordable! So, it's coming, I just don't have a defined timeline.  Thanks for your patience and understanding
Post a Comment
Read more