Make Solar Milk Jug Ghosts

The rechargeable batteries in the solar garden lights I repainted last summer heaved their last breath. 

While I am searching for outdoor rechargeable batteries,  I need something to light the way for the Trick or Treaters.

Luminaries are simple and festive. However, I don’t want to with traditional candles in case the kids accidentally walk into them. Husband says lighting your neighbor’s children on fire is rude. What-ever.

I don’t want to go with a battery operated tea lights or white Christmas tree lights because most evenings around dusk I'm trapped under a Pekingese who demands pets. Look at that face. Would you shoo it off your lap to turn on Halloween lights?

 

More pets please!

No. No, you wouldn’t.

Small solar lights will solve the problem nicely. Laziness + solar lights = green living. Yay!

I used small solar garden lights and milk jugs to make solar milk jug ghost luminaries!

Boo!

How to Make Solar Milk Jug Ghost Luminaries

The construction is so simple I almost don’t have to do a tutorial.

But I will.

You will need:

Plastic milk jugs
Solar garden lights
Paint OR Markers OR paper, scissors, paint brush, and decoupage medium
scissors or rotary tool
wire (optional)

Make it:

1. Drink milk and save the empty jugs. I didn’t have to wait very long because Husband drinks so much milk I’d park a cow in the garage if city would let me to keep up with the moo juice demand.

2. I asked my household servant to wash the milk jugs and remove the labels. Household servant = the dishwasher.

 

3. I printed Martha Stewart’s pumpkin carving templates on scrap paper,  cut the faces out with scissors, and used OutDoor Mod Podge to decoupage the faces onto the milk jugs because I didn’t like the test faces I drew on scrap paper. You can draw a face on your milk jug with black marker/paint if you can draw without a computer (unlike me!)

Outdoor Mod Podge stays put during thunderstorms! 
Guess how I know?

4. Cut the top off the milk jug to widen the hole for the solar light. I used the cutting wheel on my Dremel to cut my milk jugs. If you don't have a rotary tool, a pair of scissors also works. I’m using any excuse I can to eke out as much power tool time as I can before it’s too cold to work in the garage.

The Dremel cut through that milk jug like but-tah!

5. Make a hanger (optional) by poking two holes in the tip of the jug. Again, I used another cutting tip on my Dremel but any sharp object will do. Twist/tie a loop of wire or string through the holes to make the hanger.

6. Place a small solar garden light in the hole. I bought my solar lights at the dollar store because I want the little guys. I decided to leave the garden stake on the light to keep the light from tipping out of the milk jug.

7. Hang/place the luminaries in a sunny spot to charge the solar panels. I reused the stakes of the original hanging solar garden lights.

 

The winking guy is my favorite.

8. Wait until dark.

9. Light up the night!

Did you enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing to the Condo Blues RSS Feed  or to Condo Blues by Email.