9, 10, 11, 12. Beautiful DIY garden path lights.
These awesome tutorials will show you how to make gorgeous outdoor path lights or tiki torches from cedar wood , glass bottles, plastic bottles, or even a tuna can!
13. Up-cycled tin can outdoor patio lights.
Fill a tin can with water, freeze it, and punch a design using a hammer and nail. Two great tutorials at Design Sponge and Grow Creative.
14, 15. Classic and timeless: outdoor lanterns and chandeliers
Few can resist the charm of classic chandeliers and lanterns. The chandelier gets a makeover with solar lights. The wood lanterns made by Marie look gorgeous as porch lights or patio lights in any season.
16, 17. Creative outdoor lighting ideas for wall and fence
Jen will show us how to make a chic marquee letter with wood and string lights / globe lights.
Another great outdoor lighting idea for the wall is to transform dollar store baskets into hanging lamps!
18, 19, 20. Paper lanterns beautiful enough for weddings.
Got paper, glass or plastic bottles? Tutorials and free templates : Dandelion paper lanterns, paper lanterns with colored glow, and Peony paper lanterns here.
Marissa
June 2 at 6:41 amThese are all so cute! I’m always looking for ways to spruce up my house. I think I’ll get some lights for the front now.
Anna
June 2 at 6:45 amWow lots of beautiful ideas! I think I like the mason jar idea the best!
Maris Callahan
June 2 at 9:13 amSO pretty! I love outdoor entertaining
Angela Tolsma
June 2 at 11:01 amI always do string lights but I love the globes! Might have to find and add a few to my patio!
Sophia
June 2 at 12:52 pmThis outdoor décor is very pretty and very creative.
Elise
June 2 at 12:53 pmOutdoor lights definitely make a backyard for summer.
– Elise | http://www.prettyandfun.com
Lauren
June 2 at 12:56 pmI can’t even decide which one I like the most! I want to make them all!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets
June 2 at 1:59 pmI LOVE these! And that table in the second picture?! Swoon!
Cara
June 2 at 2:28 pmSuch great ideas! I love the lit monogram!
Rachel
June 2 at 4:37 pmThese are all so beautiful and fairly easy to make! I always loved the look of outdoor lighting. It adds such a different element to the space and really makes it feel homey. Hanging twinkle lights are my favorite, but a lot of these are tough contenders for second place! 😛
Marie
June 2 at 7:25 pmOmgosh, I love the tealights in the bird bath! How stinkin’ smart is that? Now I need to go find a bird bath. Thanks for the idea!
Angie Scheie
June 3 at 12:44 amGreat roundup and perfect timing with the warmer weather and longer nights. Our backyard (if you can call it that) is super tiny but we do have a teeny porch that you’ve now got me thinking all the ways that we could make it better with lights!! Pinning:)
Rosalyn O.
June 3 at 8:10 amWow, so many great ideas! I love most of them. I just don’t have a backyard now but I will pin it for future reference! Thanks!
Angie
June 3 at 8:13 amOkay, these all look AMAZING! I’m totally going to have to try some of these, so I’ve pinned this to check later. Thanks for sharing!
Marie
June 3 at 3:53 pmThese are gorgeous! Would be so cute in any space! Thanks for rounding these up for us!
Alison
June 3 at 11:26 pmThe right lighting just makes the garden so much more special doesn’t it?! I’ve made the tin can ones before, but the mason jar lights look adorable too I’m going to have to give those a try.
Annie
June 4 at 1:32 pmI love all of these decorative lights! It definitely adds some sparkle and romance to any yard or party!
lauren
June 5 at 4:45 pmWow lots of beautiful ideas! I think I like the mason jar idea the best!
tim
June 23 at 5:32 pmThis is a cool idea. I may have to try this. Thank you for sharing.
Water Your World
July 19 at 3:57 amGreat ideas. It looks awesome in garden area.
Joyce
August 10 at 4:22 pmNice enough, but with only one exception, there isn’t anything special about any of these, nor are they unique. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but they had tons of imagination, and more than 50 years ago, they created every single one of these lights for various occasions throughout our growing up years. The only technology not available back in the 50’s and 60’s was solar lighting, but other than that, literally every single lighting element done here my parents made/produced and shared with the neighborhood. They had the largest lit picnic table in the ‘hood because all the kids loved coming to our house to play after dark–my parents were the only ones who believed kids should play on the grass, and that grass wasn’t for show, so they invited every kid, no matter their age, to come to our house after supper. We had the lights strung up over the huge table so we could play board games, and the adults had a lit table to play cards on. THAT was what made it special, not the lighting, not the ooky little dinkums used to put things into as is done here, and not the “outdoor lovers” theme. It was Mom and Dad, and all the great friends we all had that made the nights, and the summer, special.
ananda
August 10 at 9:39 pmthank you joyce for sharing your sweet memories! it is true that everything we try to make pales in comparison with those memories of loved ones! =)
Carol
August 25 at 7:11 pmThese are awesome I will make these for my next party.
Franklin yance
April 17 at 7:33 pmSaya suka dengan cahaya yang unik yang bisa kita tampilkan lewat ide kreatif ,dimana cahay bisa indah di mana saja pada tempat kecil yg tidak berarti namun memiliki seni kreatif yang unik……saya sukabsekali cahaya lampu….terima kasih
Kelly Mahan
June 9 at 10:40 amI’m a huge fan of outdoor lights as well, and summer being so close this article is giving me some great ideas for backyard parties!
Wilma Turcotte
November 10 at 7:43 amI love the 10 minute centerpiece in the box. Could it be made with artificial stuff so it could last longer or made ahead of time? I love all your things and love and enjoy your site very much. Thank you…
ananda
November 10 at 9:07 amthank you wilma! yes artificial foliage and berries are great to use too. you can even mix them with natural ones. happy creating! =)
Amanda
February 27 at 11:53 pmLove your article! These outdoor lights are looking beautiful. I am impressed with your work and can’ t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing.
imgrum
April 6 at 2:22 amI love these ideas~ so stunning! They even put light in ice 😮 Thank you for sharing!
Lilia Robberts
June 11 at 6:17 amMy backyard need to be the coolest in our neighbor hood. I want it to look straight from a fairy-tale. I love the look of these lanterns, the sun jars are my favorite, I had no idea that I just needed to tint a mason jar to get such a cool effect! I also want to find old fashion looking lanterns.
Lilia Robberts
July 16 at 6:53 amMy yard is looking a little boring right now. Finally, my weeds are in-control, but I am feeling that my yard is lacking something. I have been thinking of decorating my yard with outdoor lights! Thank you for sharing the idea of having solar mason jar lid inserts. I will definitely need to try out some of these ideas. Along with trying these out, I want to find the perfect place to get outdoor decor!
Pam
December 7 at 8:48 amI can’t get your tutes even though I’ve been following you for a long time. I even joined two more times and still no luck. I’m disappointed. Can you help? Thanks. I really want to make your snowflakes and pine cone wreath.
ananda
December 7 at 10:53 amhi pam, i will check our list and make sure you are on there. gmail put our emails in promotions folder, maybes they are there?
Mary Johnson
February 8 at 9:51 pmThese outdoor lighting tips are so easy to DIY, however, still, most of the people have no idea about them. Keep up the good work
LED Outdoor
February 22 at 5:51 pmThanks for putting up this list together! I definitely will try making the Up-Cycled Tin Can Outdoor Patio Lights and Mason Jar Hanging Lights. I’ve been always in love with lighting fixtures and always looking for ways to recycle junk materials and turning it into something beautiful and functional decorations. Creative ideas indeed!
Barbie
June 1 at 11:06 amYour diys are amazing and so simple. I am trying to make a flower symbol out of a set OF christmas lights multicolored 150 ct. Any simple ideas?
ananda
June 3 at 6:51 amthank you! 🙂 you can use a wire frame or a backing of canvas or plywood, draw the pattern and poke the lights through like those marquee light. good luck! 🙂