Mason Jar Solar Lanterns ~ DIY Friday

I've said it before and I'll say it again, and again later probably.  I LOVE Mason Jars.  In fact they line the floor underneath half of my Queen-sized bed.  Great storage space (hubbie disagrees).  Search Pinterest for 'DIY Mason Jar' and you'll find dozens of great ideas for Mason Jar Lanterns so I thought I'd give it a try.  Seemed quick, cheap & easy so why not?  Now I can say I LOVE my Mason Jar Lanterns.  Plus they are solar ~ Bonus!

Even though I have tons of Mason Jars I still was hesitant to use my prized jars as outside accessories.  So I decided to use my go-to Mason Jar that most people just toss in the trash. What?!!  That's right, I'm talking to you!  If you've ever bought this brand of pasta sauce you might not know that an Atlas Mason Jar hides beneath the label.

Score!  Not only do you get yummy sauce but a bonus Mason Jar.  And as I see it, technically FREE.  Double score!  I use these same jars when making my Mason Jar Herb Gardens that I sell at local craft fairs.  So needless to say I crawled underneath my bed and pulled out several of these jars to use on my project.

Next order of business was obtaining solar lights.  They do make a light made to screw right onto Mason Jars but at a cool $11 bucks a pop I chose to go another route. 

Enter Wally World where I picked up several for only $2.00 a piece.  I actually went and grabbed a Mason Jar in the other isle and brought it with me to the garden section to make sure it fit on top!  

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You will also need wire of some kind.  Scavenge your hubbie's shop like I did if you can.  You could go fancy and use copper wire which would be just beautiful as it aged.  I also stole borrowed some rope from hubbie to string between several trees over a seating area I have outside.  I wanted to use this fantastically rusty aged chain but he wouldn't let me borrow that.  Dang!  Oh yeah, and grab your trusty glue gun.  A favorite weapon of any DIY'n SuperMom.  

Assembly time:  

1. Plug in glue gun.  
2. Wait till it get's hot. 
3. Pop the top off your solar light. 
4. Line the lip of your jar with hot glue.  
5. Place solar light on top of jar.  
6. Cut your wire into desired length.
7. Loop it around and over** the neck of the jar.
8. Smile and clap because you are done!

**If you are going to hang from a rope like I did make sure to do step 7 outside where you can loop the wire over the rope for hanging. 

I am proud to say that my $2 Mason Jar Lanterns have been hanging for 1 year and are still shining bright!  Over the winter some water did get into a few jars but I simply cut through the hot glue, poured the water out and re-glued the tops back on.  A better option for water-proofing other than hot glue would be something like a silicone epoxy, but that would be harder to remove in the need of battery changes.  But I have yet to have to change any battery either.   

I have 5 of these lanterns hanging in a 10 x 10 area and it really does light up the whole spot!  My hubbie was skeptical that any light would shine and he was impressed ~ not that easy to do.  I just love sitting out there at night when it cools off from the hot summer day.  Oh, and did I say how much I LOVE my Mason Jar's?

Have you made any type of outdoor Mason Jar Lantern?  Where did you put yours?  Do you love them?  =)