DIY Fabric Styled Solar Jar Lantern | Awesome Patio Lights

These particular photos are products for sale over at Used and Abused, a storefront on Etsy. They are being sold for $50. I'm going to show you how to easily make your own, for around five bucks.

The same rules apply from our Solar Powered Mason Jar Lantern tutorial, but here it is, once again.

You know those solar powered lamps people stick in their yards? You can find those for about 4 to 7 $2.98 dollars at Lowes, Home Depot, and even Walmart. You only need the cheap plastic ones. They are essentially the same as the expensive ones, except they lack the fancy metal casing.

The basic function of a solar-cell powered light is to transfer energy from the sun into a small battery which is capable of powering a very bright, but very energy efficient bulb throughout the night.

Materials needed

* A jar

* Fabric

* Mod Podge

* Cheap solar yard-light from Lowes, Home Depot, or Walmart.

Instructions

Cut your fabric strips and mod podge them to the inside of the glass jar. Once dry, go in and add one more layer of mod podge to give things an even sheen. You can cut your fabric in small squares, two pieces, or a dozen pieces, depending on how you want you jar light to look.

Take apart the solar light you bought. Specifically, remove the cap from the stake. The cap/upper portion of the lamp contains the small cell, a light, and a battery. Once you have gotten this broken down into elements that will fit in your jar, you are ready to go.

You will want to assemble the cell somewhere on the lid, or an area that will be able to receive sunlight.

Be careful not to damage the cell and the wires going to the bulb and battery.

If you glued the cell, battery, and bulb to the clear lid, then the sun would be able to penetrate the glass and the cell would receive the power to charge the battery.

If done right, the battery will get a good full charge and the lamp will stay lit the entire night and liven up your patio, garden, or wherever you decide to place your new solar jars.