Use This Dollar Store Vase Hack For Some Cheap And Gorgeous Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting can immediately take a home from looking dark and drab to cute and warm. In fact, outdoor lighting has such an effect on the appearance of a house that it is often considered an easy update to increase a home's value. But, the problem with outdoor lighting is that it can be expensive. Fortunately, if you want to make super affordable DIY lights for your yard, you can probably find everything you need in a trip to the dollar store — whether that is everything you need to make light-up hanging planters or to upcycle a simple vase into an elegant outdoor tabletop light.

The best thing about making DIY vase lights is that they can be easily moved to where you need them, and can quickly elevate a space by acting like a table centerpiece for your backyard barbecues or parties. To make these DIY vase lights, you will want to purchase solar light yard stakes from the dollar Store because they come apart easily, making them great for DIY projects. Furthermore, dollar store solar stake lights are super affordable (typically costing around $1.25 each) and can come in a variety of colors so that you can choose the ones that best match your decor. You will also need to buy a glass vase that has an opening smaller than the top of the solar stake lights but big enough to fit the light inside. You can also purchase some oil-based Sharpies for added decoration.

The first step in making your tabletop vase lights is to decorate your vases if you want to do that. If you purchased vases with colored glass or decorative vases that already have a design, you may want to leave them how they are. However, if your vases are made from simple clear glass, you can have a little more fun by adding on some simple elegant flowers with a colored Sharpie. The best thing about decorating glass vases this way is that Sharpie easily washes off with nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol,  so you can always start over if you make a mistake. And, once you like your design, you can go ahead and set the Sharpie design on the glass by baking the vases in the oven for two hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the vases are ready, assembling the lights is simple. First, just detach the stake part of the light from the top (which includes the solar panel and bulb). Next, set the light solar panel side up on top of the vase with the bulb hanging inside — and you are good to go. Leave your DIY vase lights outside so that they can soak up the sun and be ready to use in the evening.