How To Make Outdoor Glass Hanging Lights
If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I love to be outside and have this thing for outdoor lighting. I think it can make or break the mood of an evening spent outside so I am always looking for new ways to best light my deck and patio for different occasions.
I cannot take credit for coming up with this idea for this trendy outdoor light. I have to thank the creative team at Lowes that puts together their free Creative Ideas Magazine for the idea.
I am at Lowes almost every day. It is really close to my house which is good and bad, but it sure helps when I need to pick up supplies for my projects. Last week when I was there, I picked up a copy of the latest issue of Lowes Creative Ideas. When I got home and flipped through the pages and saw these DIY globe lights, I knew I had to make one. Since Lowes is so close, back I went to buy a glass globe. They had one left so I think I am not the only one who loved this project idea.
They used twine and paint to make their version, but when I went to my basement to get some twine, I didn’t have any.
I could have gone back to Lowes to get some, but since I am a DIY loving girl, I searched through my stash and came up with something else to use. I found gold hardware store chain that I used to make jewelry and some jump rings. I am calling the one I made the glam version. :)
supplies needed:
- 3-1/4” – Prismatic Glass light globe
- Hardware store chain, cut into 4 sections: Enough to go around lip of globe and three equal lengths to hang. Any narrow chain will work. The one I used is called #300 Hobby Twist Chain
- 5 jump rings. I used a small one to connect the chain around the globe and larger ones to hang.
- Wire Cutters
1. Measure around globe and cut a piece of chain to that size.
2. Attach it with a jump ring. Make sure it is very snug. I initially made it too big and ended up removing one more link so it was snug.
3. Figure out where and how low you want it to hang and cut 3 pieces of chain the exact same size. Count the links if necessary. If one of the chains is longer, the globe will hang crookedly. Attach each chain with a jump ring evenly spaced around the chain which goes around the lip of the globe. Then attach the ends together with another jump ring. I used a very large one as this will be what you hook the globe on to hang.
4. To keep the globe from getting wax in it, you can use battery operated candles, tea lights, or even place a tea light in a glass votive for extra protection. You can also fill the bottom with sand to help keep the candle secure.
I hung this on the pergola on my deck to take the photo, but I think I am going to move it to the side entrance of my house and hang it on a wall mounted swing arm style plant hanger for added impact.
*Update – Now that we have moved to our lake home, I will find a home for this hanging globe light on our dock to welcome lake wanderers back home at night. :)
Later in the week I was at Home Depot to buy some Glidden paint and found these outdoor glass light covers. I usually use cleaned out pickle jars for the candles I use on my outdoor tables, but these are prettier and only $3.50 each – plus they complement the hanging globe light.
I placed tea lights inside each. They just glow – so pretty.
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