The easiest, cheapest landscape lighting hack ever. Set a few of these glowing outdoor orbs in your backyard and they'll have more impact than installing an outdoor kitchen and an infinity pool. Not really. But still - they're really nice and quick to make.
Get ready for it ... this one's a doozy. Doozie? Doosey. It's a humdinger. THIS is one of the posts that put me on the map when I started my blog over 10 years ago. Between this post and How to Make a Personal Fire Pit I was the reigning Queen of Pinterest for the summer of 2010. Or maybe it was 2011. Either way I wore a sash and started picking out Corgi names.
All of this from old light shades and string lights.
It looks high end with a side of huge impact, It costs next to nothing, And even if being "handy" to you means replacing your regular lightbulbs with eco-friendly ones ... you'll be able to do this in 3 minutes flat.
That's right. Some old glass shades, some old (outdoor) Christmas lights and BAM. You're a backyard badass baroness. (There can only be one Queen)
In my attempt to make my backyard a teensy bit more contemporary than my 180 year old house I ran into a few problems. Contemporary outdoor lighting is EXPENSIVE. That's what led me to creating my own.
If I'm gonna shell out a whole whack of cash for something in my backyard it's gonna be on a tenderloin for the BBQ. Or a better BBQ. Or a talking parrot who refers to me as Princess Leia. It isn't gonna be for lighting if I can help it.
So while perusing the local second hand store I came across some truly unfortunate stains on the carpet AND the ubiquitous opaque glass shades. You've probably thrown a few out in your lifetime. Stop doing that. Stop it right now.
And here's the best part! You know those stupid, anger inducing mini lights you have shoved in your basement? The ones where only half of the string lights up? Yeah, um ... this is a perfect use for them. PERFECT!
Just stick the glass shades anywhere you want and stuff them full of mini lights. Attach an extension cord if you need to and hide it under your garden dirt or mulch. I have my lights on a timer so they come on every night at dusk.
When I first made these 10 years or so ago solar lighting was pathetic. 3 legged dog in the rain pathetic. Now they're a lot better and they'd be a good way to light these up as well as long as you have a place you can place the solar panel that gets a lot of sun. In the case of my backyard that isn't a good option.
These are the solar powered lights I'd use if you have enough sun.
I pulled the HUGE orbs you see in the second photo near the top of this post out of someone's garbage.
They look beautifull. And it wasn't a fluke that I found these in a second hand store. Every time I've gone into a second hand store I've noticed these shades there. Goodwill, Salvation Army, random Bible Stores ... they're always in there.
Flea markets have them as well! They're usually around $1 - $3 each.
If you don't have a second hand store near you, you can order these shades on Amazon. But the price fluctuates wildly. Sometimes you can get them for $4.99 each for a 6" shade and sometimes they're over $20. And it would be stupid to spend $10 - $15 when you can spend $1 - $3. Right?
Plus reduce, reuse, recycle and all that stuff. If a second hand store doesn't have them now they will, just keep checking back.
Trust me. Queen Princess Leia wouldn't lie to you.
p.s. Look here to learn how to turn these same glass shades into a birdfeeder and Look here to learn how I used them in the winter!
Hope
Why not just use “glow-in-the-dark” paint on the globes?
Claire Cartwright
I think I'd color the globes with the "sea glass" paints for different colors. Also...maybe try some "patterned" glass globes like the "pineapple" covers or crackle glass ones (and maybe color those too!)
Dakota Williams
Gorgeous. I wonder what would happen if we took some colored blinking Christmas lights and did this project. It might remind me of lightening bugs where I grew up.
Rishika
Your DIY saved my garden!
Sometimes store bought lights just don't cut it... mine are only a year old and are either too weak or fizzled out entirely. So I used a bunch of frosted glass orbs instead, then went ahead and stuck my solar powered string lights in it
I can't believe how magical it looks!
Karen
Nice work! I'm always happy when people actually do the things I tell them about, lol. This project is still one of my favourite DIYs. :) ~ karen!
Edgar Devere
Useful discussion . Apropos , if someone is interested a TX VS-165 , my wife edited a blank version here
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Jennifer
I have a small problem with the orbs they get too hot with the Christmas lights in them
Karen
Hi Jennifer! The globes shouldn't be getting hot. Chances are what's happened is someone has replaced one of the string light bulbs with a bulb that doesn't go with that string. When you do that (I have no idea why) the string lights can get VERY hot. It makes them faulty and therefore ...dangerous. Either that, or it's a case of you packing too many string lights into the globes and too many of them are touching the sides of the glass. But even then, a properly working string light shouldn't get so hot that the bulb hurts to touch it. (if that were the case Christmas trees would be burning down all over the place). ~ karen!
Martyjj
If getting the electric cord to the orbs is a problem, use the battery operated lights available everywhere during Christmas or at hobby stores. I use them all over my house because they have a 6 hour timer on each string of lights. They come on at 5pm and shut themselves off at 11pm. Everyday. Also, that doesn't limit where you can put the orbs. On shelves, in flower beds, the mantle, on stairs, it's limitless.
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anne
Hi! I would love to make this for my parents garden but can you use those kind of lights with batteries? Or is that a no go for the amount of rainshowers in the Netherlands ;)
Thank you I love the idea!!
Karen
Hi Anne! The timer candles is a great idea. You just have to make sure they're bright enough to show up through the opaque glass. Also make sure they're ones that are specified for outdoor use if you can. The only reason for this is the ones that *aren't* specified for outdoor use sometimes melt in the sun ~ karen!
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Donna
why not buy clear glass vases etc in different shapes and sizes and use glass paint to make "stained glass" lights. :-)
Karen
That's a great idea Donna! The different height glass cylinder vases from the dollar store would be great. Very architectural. ~ karen!
Miss Poipois
Wow !! will be great in our new home in south of France ! I hope we'll live outside all summer long, ans I was searching some lighting ideas ! Thank you !
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Cindy R. from Washington State
Sorry, I should have stated that as BHG.
Karen
I hadn't seen that but now that you mention it I do see some views coming from BHG.com. Thanks for letting me know! :) ~ karen
Cindy R. from Washington State
Karen, did you see that this idea is being featured by HGTV on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152619849916019&set=a.112628916018.117424.72571226018&type=1&theater
-- Cindy
Karlene Craig
The glowing orbs, in your yard, is an awesome idea. I actually have two globes, that I found at a garage sale, for a buck! I knew they were useable, somehow. I'm going to use lights that you can just turn on. You know, the short strands that are battery operated, since I can't run an electrical cord across my backyard. I love, love, love this idea! Thanks!
Tina Ward
You could use different colored lights for different holidays, maybe even stick on some decals (butterflies, flowers) that would show up as shadows when the lights are on and add character to the globes during the day. Or, paint stripes on the globe.
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Fine tips With thanks.
Beth
I put strands of Christmas tree lights in my colored garden globes - you know - the ones that come in a multitude of colors. Just make sure that when you hold it up to the light, the glass is opaque enough for the light to shine through. You can't do it with the globes that look like single colored Christmas ornaments. You either need something that is all glass or somewhat mosaic.
Suzanne Baugh
We did something similar but we found pieces of a light fixture that had just the 1/4 pieces we glued them together and made 2 half of a orb ,we then bought a solar light and put inside . It looks like the Moon at night. It doesn't take electrics. They fit together perfectly.