Upcycle An Old Belt And Glass Jar Into The Coolest Decor To Beautify Your Home

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Leather belts are one of the most common accessories you will find in your local thrift store, whether made of real animal hide or imitation leather. With them so abundantly available, there are a number of cool ways to repurpose an old belt, including a fun DIY project that turns these ordinary belts into hangers for stylish and rustic outdoor lanterns powered by solar lights. These easy-to-create lanterns are a beautiful way to light up your outdoor living space in a budget-friendly way.

All you will need are a couple of belts, an upcycled jar of any size, a solar puck light, and a glue gun. This project can also be customized with other elements like beads, buttons, and other accents to add interest to the belts themselves. Plain leather belts work, as do carved and braided belts for additional texture. You can also swap out the glass jar for other glass vessels, including thrifted cylinder vases or wide-mouth glass bottles. 

To create the simplest version of his DIY, start by cleaning your jar and removing any labels. Fasten the buckle on your belt, which will serve as the top of your hanger. On the opposite inside at the bottom, add some hot glue and stick the bottom of the jar in place. Use additional glue up the sides to fasten the belt on the side of the jar. Add a second belt cut to size around the perimeter with glue.

You can also make another variation of this same idea using leatherworking hardware instead of hot glue. This gives you a little more freedom in where you place the belts, securing them to each other rather than the jar. For a version with even more rustic charm, use the buckle itself as a front-and-center design element, wrapping the belt tightly to hold the jar and then using Chicago screws and a leather punch to fasten another strip of belt to it on either side.

To light your lantern, insert a solar puck light into the top of the jar, gluing it in place if necessary. You could also use regular LED lights attached to the original lid with glue. For a whimsical look, fill the lanterns with mini battery-operated twinkle lights. You could also go for a more romantic style by using real or electric candles in the bottom of the lantern, either by themselves or on top of natural accents like sand, pebbles, or colored marbles.

Hang the lantern outdoors from a fence or tree, or suspend it from a ceiling to give your porch a glow-up. This basic format works as stylish indoor décor as well, where you can use this belted jar as a fun planter for succulents or as a hanging vase for real or artificial flowers. Or enlist it to provide cute hanging storage above your desk or in a bathroom above your vanity. You can also create non-hanging versions that sit on a surface to use as a candle holder, vase, or vessel for small objects just by wrapping the belts around as mere decoration and eliminating the hanging portion.