If you are an outdoor lover like me, you will most likely be inspired by many of these enchanting yet super easy DIY outdoor lighting ideas for patios, porches, backyard parties, and more!
Outdoor lights are one of my favorite things ever: they create the perfect outdoor space settings for dinners with loved ones and happy moments under the stars.
Most of theseDIY outdoor lighting ideas take less than 1 hour to make, using very simple and easy to find materials. See how you can incorporate anything from string lights, solar lights, mason jars and tin cans to create beautiful backyard patio lighting and porch lighting easily!
Update: here’s part 2 of our outdoor lighting series focusing on outdoor light fixtures and landscape lighting design ideas!
Here’s a slideshow of some of the lights we will be exploring!
*Some resources in article are affiliate links. Full disclosure here.
DIY outdoor lighting ideas for patios and walkways
These beautiful outdoor string lights / globe lights are perfect for patio lighting and backyard party lighting! You can attach them to exterior walls, eaves, or tree branches. You can also place wooden poles or branches in planters or buckets of sand, or make a few permanent poles set in concrete to hang these outdoor lights. ( Source 1 | 2 )
You can also use a metal bucket filled with concrete to create poles for outdoor patio lights like in tutorial above. Line the bucket with plastic of you want to keep them clean to reuse for other things.
Backyard lighting with mason jar oil candles
These easy DIY lanterns make great patio or porch lights outdoors, or as decorative ambiance lighting for a backyard party! Add botanical clippings, water, and a little bit of vegetable oil to a mason jar, now we have an instant oil candle! You can also add essential oils to repel mosquitoes. Easy enough, right? The magic wick is the secret. Tutorial here.
Easy DIY solar Outdoor lighting ideas, aka DIY Sun Jars!
Want landscape lighting without all the work? Low-voltage solar outdoor lights are really easy to set up along a pathway or driveway! First you will need solar mason jar lid inserts or hack a few solar path lights.
Glue or tape them to the inside of a glass jar, and let the sun do its work.
It is easy to add colors or patterns. If you want to tint mason jars or other glass jars, add 9 drops of food coloring and 1 teaspoon water to every tablespoon of Mod Podge or other good quality craft glue, mix and coat the inside of each jar. Bake at 200 Fahrenheit for 1 hour.
The pretty decoupaged jars were sold at this Etsy shop. You can also make yours by brushing Mod Podge or other good quality craft glue and pieces of tissue paper on the interiors of glass jars.
Magical backyard lighting with tea lights.
Waterproof tea candles floating in a water-filled birdbath makes you feel like being in a tropical resort. Place some LED tea lights inside these easy-to-make paper lanterns, now we have an enchanting walkway through the garden . ( Source 7 | 8 ) .
Beautiful DIY garden path lights.
These awesome DIY landscape ligting tutorials will show you how to make gorgeous outdoor pathway lights, deck lights, or tiki torches from cedar wood and solar rechargeable battery, glass bottles, plastic bottles, or even a tuna can!
Up-cycled tin can outdoor patio lights.
You can use recycled materials to create a lovely ambiance. Fill a tin can with water, freeze it, and punch a design using a hammer and nail. Two great tutorials at Design Sponge and Grow Creative.
Classic and timeless: outdoor lanterns and chandeliers
Few can resist the charm of light fixtures such as classic chandeliers and lanterns. The chandelier gets a makeover with solar lights. The wood lanterns made by Marie look gorgeous as porch lights or patio lights in any season.
Creative outdoor lighting ideas for wall and fence
Jen will show us how to make a chic marquee letter with wood and string lights / globe lights.
Another great outdoor lighting idea for the wall is to transform dollar store baskets into hanging lamps!
Paper lanterns beautiful enough for weddings.
Got paper, glass or plastic bottles? Tutorials and free templates : Dandelion paper lanterns, paper lanterns with colored glow, and Peony paper lanterns here.
Enchanting mason jar hanging lights
Perfect porch lights! Beth at Unskinny Boppy created this gorgeous rustic Ladder chandelier. I could see it made with pallets too!
The DIY mason jar hanging wall light from All Things Heart and Home can be made easily with Christmas lights. A lovely way to light up a porch, patio or deck.
Related: How to make hanging mason jar lanterns easily using wire hangers!
Magical glowing orbs and spheres with LED and string lights.
These would look so beautiful as backyard lights! Can you believe these orb garden lights are made from opaque glass shades?
Fairy light spheres can be made from grapevines such as in this tutorial.
Materials beyond paper, wood and metal…
Outdoor lights can also be made with unconventional materials such as wax, or ice. The translucent quality adds a sense of mystery and enchantment.
All three tutorials can be found here: 20 Magical Lanterns and Luminaries.
I am definitely going to play with some of these projects. How about you?
One more lighting DIY you may like: wouldn’t this make the perfect covered patio light?- DIY Faux Mexican Tin Star Lantern
Happy creating! See you soon!
