Clay Pot Solar Light Holders

Have you ever started a craft project without an end goal in mind?

Right now I can imagine nods and smiles from you because most of us can relate to starting a craft project but not knowing how you are going to finish it. 

This was one of those projects for me.

But with some last minute inspiration this week, I was finally able to finish these Clay Pot Solar Light Holders and get the photos taken for this month’s Creative Craft Hop.

This post contains affiliate links which help to support this blog if you were to purchase anything through these links at no additional cost to you.

This post is part of the Creative Craft Blog Hop hosted by Sara from Birdz of a Feather.

 

 

If you are visiting from Cecilia’s site, My Thrift Store Addiction then welcome!  I know you will enjoy Cecilia’s  Retro Metal Chair Makeover project this month.  At the very bottom of this post, I will be directing you to the next stop on this blog hop venture. And don’t forget to check out all of the talented bloggers participating this month during the week as well.

DIY Clay Pot Solar Light Holders

 

To be honest, it is my own fault because I really should have finished this project last month.

 

 

I have so many unfinished craft projects in my craft room, and these little clay pots are just one of them. It is just one of the many random projects I have vowed to get done and out of my craft room this summer.

And I don’t really have an excuse for not finishing it except maybe that once I got the painting part of the project done I got distracted with the next project and never put the actual solar light stakes on my shopping list either.  Never mind that I really didn’t plan on using them for solar light holders.  They were there – in the way – in my craft room and I just picked them up one afternoon and started painting them.

It wasn’t until I decided to join this month’s Creative Craft Hop again that I remembered that I had them about 90 percent done anyway and they were perfect for my garden as solar light holders.

So last month, here is what I did with them.

First, I cleaned them up and spray painted them with a base coat of brown spray paint.  A friend had given them to me last year as a way to clean out her own craft stash and garden supplies.  So they needed a good cleaning and base coat of paint before I could add any decorative details to them.

 

 

If you are purchasing new clay pots for a similar project, you may find that you also need to clean them first. These were used and dirty so I had to clean them.

 

 

After giving each clay pot a full coating of brown spray paint there still wasn’t a clear plan for them.  I just started working on them anyway.

 

 

 

Several layers of navy acrylic paint went on each pot.  Navy is a favorite color of mine.

In these photos you will also notice another project along with the solar lights.  I had just one clay saucer so I made a cute little mushroom for my garden at the same time. 

To give the navy painted clay pots some personality, I added hand painted yellow and brown flowers on each pot.  I like painting daisies and sunflowers and already have a few other projects in my garden with this design. Like my plant stand makeover to a bird bath.  And these mason jar hanging lanterns.

Your favorite color for garden flowers may be pink or orange.  Whatever design you want to add, just go for it.

 

 

A fine tip brown Sharpie was the best thing to use to outline each petal of the flowers.

 

 

Once the details were complete, I applied several layers of Rust-Oleum Triple Thick Glaze to the clay pots to seal them against the weather.

And then back to the craft room table they went to sit around again.

 

 

So for a few weeks now I have been moving these pots out of the way – again – in my craft room.  I had always thought that I would use them as solar light holders but just wasn’t entirely sure.  I mean there are just so many wonderful ways you can use painted clay pots in your garden. 

 

 

When I decided to go ahead and use them for solar light holders I needed to do a bit more work to them. 

Raiding my husband’s tools, I used a Rotary Tool to make the holes on the bottom of the clay pots bigger to fit the pole for the solar lights.

If you don’t have access to a Rotary or Dremel tool, you could also take the solar light stake apart and use E6000 or Gorilla Glue to attach it to the bottom of the clay pot instead.  

Usually you would do this part first, however, since I didn’t really plan ahead to use these pots as solar light holders, I just had to make it work either way. At least it was an easy fix.

 

 

Once the hole was large enough for the solar light stake to fit in the hole, it was just an easy task to secure the spiked end in the ground and slide the decorated clay pot over the tubing part. 

Not only will the solar lights add some much needed night time lights near the back steps, it also adds my own creative touch to the décor of the garden beds. 

 

 

Cleaning, spray painting a base coat, decorative painting, top glaze coat, and drilling bigger holes in the bottom are the simple steps you will need to do to make clay pot solar light holders for your own garden.

If you have clay pots in your craft plans, what do you plan to make with them?

Now be sure to visit all of the other talented and creative bloggers who are participating in the Creative Craft Blog Hop this month starting with Tip’s Easy Peg Board DIY project. 

 

Christmas in July Christmas Tree

Christmas in July Gingerbread Ornament

$180 Pier 1 Knock-Off Decorative Mirror Set for Under $15!

Retro Metal Lawn Chair Makeover

Clay Pot Solar Light Holders

Easy Peg Board DIY

Purple and White Checkered Wood Ornaments

Terra Clay Paint Tiki Makeover

 

 

 

Hugs,

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”