Upcycle Old, Vintage Glass Lampshades Into Adorable Outdoor Landscaping Lights With This Easy DIY

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Small glass shades and lighting globes can be uniquely beautiful even without the lamps and other fixtures they once belonged to, often sporting botanically-inspired designs, lots of texture, and exquisite glass molding. While these can be added to lamps inside your home to change them up, you may not know they can also be used to liven up your outdoor lighting for a whimsical and vintage-inspired look. All you need are some solar lights and some wire to create adorable hanging light fixtures that can help stylishly illuminate your porch, garden, or yard. 

These lighting elements can be found for a steal at thrift stores, antique sellers, and flea markets, sometimes grouped with the other lighting and home decor items (and occasionally the glassware aisle). You can usually pick them up for a few bucks each, particularly if they are sold singular. You may also find sets separated from or still attached to a chandelier or standing lamp. Repurposing old light fixtures can be a great eco-friendly and low-cost alternative to new decorative solar lights sold in stores.

To turn these globes into beautiful hanging solar lights, add some heavier gauge wire looped around the top of the glass shade, securing it with glue if necessary. You could also drill small holes to add a chain. The size of solar bulb you'll need depends on the size of your globe. For many, you will have to remove the stake portion, leaving only the light. Great options include these Joomer Solar Ground Lights from Amazon, which you can attach to the inside of the top of the shade with an adhesive around the perimeter. Keep in mind that hot glue is not completely waterproof, so if you are using them somewhere exposed to rain and moisture, opt for a watertight adhesive like E6000 instead. You could also use these prettier GIGALUMI Solar Lights if the bulb will be mostly visible inside. Make sure the top of the solar apparatus is within reach of the sun for best results.

Hang your new solar shade from a garden stake, like these Ashman shepherd's hooks. You could also suspend them from a porch ceiling, along a fence to brighten your garden, or from a tree limb to light up your backyard patio. You could also use them on solar lights that are made to stick in the ground to offer a beautiful light source to illuminate your sidewalk or garden path. Or add them on top of sconces with some glue along a fence.