DIY A Whimsical Backyard Lighting Feature With TikTok's Watering Can Upcycle

Outdoor lighting highlights different areas around the yard. Whether you want to illuminate a few flower beds or create a lit-up pathway, outdoor lighting can change the ambiance at night. Homeowners typically add lighting to boost their home's curb appeal and create a safer environment for those living in the house and walking past it. Some standard light features folks use are string lights and solar LED lights for their yards. These lights create a modern and chic appearance. However, upcycling items around your home can make excellent contenders for lighting decor. For example, TikTok user @ashleighbeckofficial1997 upcycled a watering can with fairy lights to create a gorgeous, whimsical light feature for her backyard.

She hung up the watering can on a fence pole, and when the lights were turned on, it looked like glimmering water was falling out of the can and watering the plants below. It's the perfect alternative to basic LED fence lights. Instead of having a single light bulb shining down on a small area, you have a mesmerizing trail of lights pouring out of a watering can, illuminating a larger surface. The best part about this DIY is it doesn't take long to complete. You'll need a metal watering can, solar-powered fairy lights from Amazon, any bracket with a hook, zip ties, and a drill.

When searching for the perfect watering can, you can buy one used at a gardening or local thrift store to find affordable options. You can also purchase a new one from Amazon for $14.99. As for the bracket, any style will work if it has a hook. Walmart sells a black bracket for $3.64. After you gather your materials, it's time to get to work.

Start by drilling slightly larger holes into the watering can's spout to fit the fairy lights inside. Then, wrap the extra wire that doesn't have lights on it around the solar power's handle so it doesn't hang loose. Remove the spout from the watering hole and thread the fairy lights through the neck from inside the watering can. Pull the entire string through. Insert the same end into one of the holes you made in the spout and thread the whole string through again. Secure the spout back into place.

To create the watering illusion, measure out a long piece of the fairy light, bend the wire, and stick it into one of the holes in the spout. Repeat the step until you fill all the holes or run out of lights. Finally, hang the bracket on a fence and zip-tie the watering can's handle to the hook. Be sure to also attach the solar panel to receive full sun. Once the night comes, you'll have a gorgeous lit-up watering can.

TikTok user @ashleighbeckofficial1997 set up her watering can on a fence next to a small porch, where it glowed over a small plant. She also covered the top half of the wall, behind the watering can, with Christmas lights to illuminate the entire area. It gave a beautiful, magical look to the space. However, you can set up your glowing watering can anywhere in your backyard. 

If you have a stylish pergola you enjoy hanging out under during the summer, hang the watering can from one of its posts. Set a few potted plants underneath so that it gives the illusion of watering the plants. Plus, you might already have the pergola covered in string lights so that the illuminating watering can enhance its whimsical ambiance. Or, if you have a few raised flower beds, hang the watering can from a shepherd's hook over the flowers. Amazon sells one for just under $10.

You don't need a massive backyard to replicate this DIY. If you live in an apartment with a balcony, you can hang this watering can from the wall; the lights will cascade over any plants on the floor. Simply attach the plant-hanging bracket to the wall and zip-tie the watering can to the hook so it can have support. If your balcony has wood beams connected to the railing, attach the bracket to the beam. Then, you can decorate the rest of the space with additional hanging string lights or make more glowing watering cans.