• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Art of Doing Stuff
menu icon
go to homepage
  • HOUSE
  • COOKING
  • GARDEN
  • HOW-TO
  • EXTRA
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • HOUSE
    • COOKING
    • GARDEN
    • HOW-TO
    • EXTRA
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » How To Stuff » How to (DIY)

    Make a Lantern Out of a Pot

    May 30, 2010 by Karen 97 Comments

    Pin71K
    Share
    Email
    71K Shares

    The time has come for the final Dollar store post. *sniff*  It's one of those occasions that's both sad and happy.  Like watching a child go off to school for the first time, or  eating a whole strawberry-rhubarb pie in one sitting.

    Mostly though, this is an exciting moment.  The final Dollar store post is perhaps the most dramatic transformation ever to be recorded in history. Ever. If you don't count some of the better drag queens.

    So here we go .... deep breath ... the final Dollar Store post.

    Clay pot

    ANY CHARA CTER HERE

    ANY CHARA CTER HERE

    Ta da!  An outdoor lantern.  I'm almost positive the other shoppers in Dollarama heard something in my head *pop* when I came up with this. I was actually looking at Dollarama's Chinese paper lanterns thinking how I liked them, but how they'd get wrecked if they were left outside in the rain for one night. Not a good thing for someone who might not be exactly, completely on top of things like bringing stuff in from the rain. Ever. Also a poor trait for someone who has a sunroof in their car. Just sayin'.

    To prove that you could do this with ONLY things bought at a Dollar store I bought everything at Dollarama.   You can improvise with stuff you already have at home, like chain or metal rods or whatever else you have in your basement or junk drawer.  The Led lights I bought are meant for outdoors and are thusly waterproof, so pay attention to that if you go shopping around to do this.

    So here we go ... it's simple enough to do but here are the instructions just in case you need 'em:

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    Remove the chain from your really ugly cat plaque. It is now your choice as to whether you would like to display your really ugly cat plaque or throw it in the garbage.
    Slip a thin metal rod through chain ends. I used a hex key I bought at Dollarama. Wind elastic band around ends to keep chain from slipping off. Hook LED light into middle.
    Put light and rod inside pot. Pull chain through drain hole in pot. The rod acts as a brace to keep everything in place. this way you can also easily remove the light for when you need to change the batteries.
    ANY CHARA CTER HERE
    this is what it will look like inside the upside down pot.
    This is what it will look like outside at night. I put mine on the fence outside my dining room window so I can see them when I'm inside at night.
    ANY CHARA CTER HERE

    And guess what?!! You can do this with just about anything! I used plastic pots, clay pots and woven baskets. With a little screwing around with your materials and technique whatever you want or find should work. For example:

    ANY CHARA CTER HERE

    ANY CHARA CTER HERE

    ANY CHARA CTER HERE

    This one is done a little differently:

    Remove the chain from your still ugly cat plaque.
    Turn your basket upside down, slip chain through weave and tie ends of chain together with fishing line.
    cut a long thread of fishing line and loop through hooks on back of light
    run fishing line that's looped around light through weave in bottom of basket so it comes out other side.
    grab ahold of your fishing line that you've run through what is now the top of your basket (shade).
    pull the fishing line so it lifts the led light right up to the top of the basket. tie the fishing line into a tight knot, then cut the ends off.
    see? the light is nice and snug against the top of the shade. i'm kindda shocked i just used the word "snug". that's an old person word.
    Hang your fancy new basket lamp on the bracket.
    ANY CHARA CTER HERE
    or even better! hang 2 fancy basket lamps on brackets!
    ANY CHARA CTER HERE
    Ready for a party! that i'll never have. which is o.k. this way i don't have to clean up before or after the party. yet i still get to enjoy the lamps. And cheesies if I want. win, win really.
    ANY CHARA CTER HERE

    Total cost for each of these outdoor lanterns? About $5. I ate more money in snacks while making them. Curse you Smartfood.

    This concludes my very first Dollar store series. If my brain doesn't explode I'll have another series for you in a while. If my brain doesn't explode. Probably eating more Smartfood would help with preventing that.


    More How to (DIY)

    • How to Replace a Broken Gas Grill Igniter.
    • The 5 Summer Projects That'll Make Your Summer Unforgettable
    • How to Lay Sod for a Beautiful Lawn
    • Filling glitter bomb mechanism with confetti and glitter
      Make a Glitter Bomb Card (Instructions & Template)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image, audio. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

    1. Micah Williams

      December 28, 2022 at 7:52 am

      Cute idea. I enjoy your laid back demeanor in your blog! You seem fun!

      Reply
      • Karen

        December 30, 2022 at 11:21 am

        i really am.😆🤣 ~ karen!

        Reply
    2. Laurie

      June 08, 2022 at 9:34 am

      I’d love to sign up for your new posts.

      Reply
    3. Debbie

      May 20, 2022 at 6:42 pm

      So smart
      Love the style pot you used
      Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    4. Craftree

      May 27, 2020 at 11:34 pm

      GENIUS! Love the ideas!

      Reply
    5. Jenn

      May 31, 2019 at 10:01 pm

      Wait. WAIT. I’m lazy. I’m new. This post is ooooooold. I’d have to turn the LED lights from dollar store on and then....off?

      Reply
    6. Mary Jo Tedder

      July 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm

      How can I subscribe to your site to receive e-mails?

      Reply
      • Karen

        July 17, 2017 at 3:19 pm

        You figured it out. :) I just went to subscribe you but it says you are already subscribed. See you on Wednesday! (my next blog post) ~ karen!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    SHOP ON AMAZON

    Use it 👆 to support my work. LEARN MORE

    My name is Karen Bertelsen and I was a television host. In Canada. Which means in terms of notoriety and wealth, I was somewhere on par with the manager of a Sunset Tan in Wisconsin.

    I quit television to start a blog with the goal that I could make my living through blogging and never have to host a television show again. And it’s worked out. I’m making a living blogging. If you’re curious, this is how I do that.

    So I’m doing this in reverse basically. I’m the only blogger who is trying to NOT get a TV show.

    More about me 👋

    Seasonal Articles

    • The 2025 Dahlia Pageant: Meet the 21 Contestants
    • 5 Delicious Things To Make With Rhubarb
    • An Ice Cube Poppy Update 🧊
    • 🥔 How to Grow Cheatsheet - Potatoes in Zone 6
    • Spring Tune-Up: Sharpen It Now, Curse It Less Later
    • We Come In At Dark

    Popular Articles

    • This Is Where I Try To Buy Your Love
    • Guaranteed Crispy Sweet Potato Fries & Sriracha Mayo Dip
    • A Year Full of Pots: Win Sarah Raven's New Book
    • The Difference Between People Who Eat Mayo & People Who Eat Miracle Whip
    • Your FIRST look at my new kitchen in Canadian Living Magazine.
    • How to Print an Image on Wood.

    Footer

    as seen in

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    51103 shares