DIY Plastic Water Bottle Patio Lights

Finding a cheap way to add ambiance to your surroundings with the use of light doesn't have to be hard. Here is one cheap and easy way to light your patio and give it an inviting atmosphere using recycled plastic bottles and ordinary christmas lights.

Supplies Needed
15 empty, cleaned, dried 1 liter plastic bottles
15 25 bulb strands of christmas lights
15 large round, ball-shaped beads
15 2 1/2 inch styrofoam balls
Clear fishing wire
30 Large bobby pins
1 permanent marker
A couple rolls of cellophane plastic. (can be clear or colored)
Scissors
Clear drying glue like super glue
*Optional - Decorative paper, self-adhesive contact shelf liner or fabric

Note About christmas Lights
For this project you do not necessarily have to use Christmas lights. There are lights on sale for various other holidays like Halloween. It does not matter if you opt for multi-color lights, flashing lights, big lights, little lights or solid color lights as long as they are on a strand. Even rope lights will work well with this project. If you are using Christmas lights you can add the flash bulb for extra oomph.

Instructions

The first thing you need to do is make sure you have removed the labels from your plastic bottles. You can soak them in hot water to remove the paper and then use rubbing alcohol to get rid of any remaining glue on the bottle.

Next you will need to create the shape you want the individual lamps to be. Turn the bottle upside down so that the top is facing down and draw a pattern on your bottle with a marker Make sure that you leave at least 6 inches from the bottom so that you essentially have an upside down bowl. One of the easiest shapes is to draw 5 large points so that it resembles an upside down flower. You can, however make your bottle into other shapes such as a wave or a straight edge all the way around.

Once you have the desired shape cut along the lines you drew. You should now have 15 individually shaped plastic bottle bowls.

You can decorate the plastic bottles with self-adhesive contact shelf liner or decorative paper. Just glue to the outside and cut to match the shape you previously cut out. The look of your lamp depends on how creatively you can cover the plastic bottles. Because the lights do not get warm enough or close enough to melt the plastic you are safe to use fabrics and papers.

Now use your scissors and punch a hole in the center of the bottom of the bottle. This is where our cord and fishing wire will will thread through.

To assemble the lights, take one strand of lights and wrap it around one of the Styrofoam balls. Wrap it around and around so that it is evenly covered all the way around.

Tie a length of fishing wire 4 inches long to the hook of a bobby pin. Add a drop of glue to the knot.

When you get to the end of the strand where the lights stop, use the bobby pin with fishing wire tied to it to secure the light's cord into the Styrofoam. Coat the bobby pin in glue before shoving into the Styrofoam to add strength.

You should now have a dangling ball of lights.

Wrap the ball of lights in the cellophane. Letting the cellophane crinkle adds a unique look to the lights. Seal the last edges with glue.

Place the ball of lights inside the upside down plastic bottle bowl. Feed the light's cord through the hole you punched in the bottom. Now thread the other end of the fishing wire through the ball-shaped bead and tie a knot at the end. The bead should keep the ball of lights suspended inside the plastic bottle bowl. You can adjust the length of the wire according to how long you want your Styrofoam ball to dangle.

Repeat this process until all your plastic bottle bowls have been turned into dangling balls of light. Then simply connect the cords so that they are one long strand and hang around your patio as decorative patio lights. You can also hang hte lamps by themselves rather than as one long strand of lights.