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    Home » Holidays Seasonal » DIY Christmas Lanterns made from Porch Lights

    DIY Christmas Lanterns made from Porch Lights

    Published by Gail | Published November 30, 2017 | Updated November 25, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    How to make diy Christmas Lanterns using old porch lights, spindles, and wooden bases. Easy weekend project to make for your holiday table or mantel. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #porch #lights #Christmas #lanterns via @repurposedlife

    It’s time for the monthly Power Tool Challenge. This month’s theme is Secret Santa. I am sharing some DIY Christmas Lanterns made from old porch lights. This was a fairly easy project using some items I already had around the shop.

    how to make festive Christmas Lanterns out of porch lights and spindles MyRepurposedLife.com

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    Old porch lights

    old porch lights

    Do you have some old porch lights? If not, you can pick them up at your local Habitat ReStore.

    I was fortunate that my neighbor Rodney gave me these old porch lights a few months ago. They’ve been hanging out waiting for the perfect project. As I started dismantling them I wasn’t sure that they would morph into what was my vision, but in all honesty I think they surpassed my dreams!

    Let’s see how old porch posts became festive Christmas lanterns!

    Shop My Amazon Storefront to See my Favorite Tools and Products

    Disassemble wall lantern porch light

    diy Christmas lanterns dismantle porch lights

    I began by dismantling the porch lights so I could turn them into Christmas lanterns.

    • Remove Brackets
    • Snip Wires
    • Loosen Nuts to Separate the Light from the Base
    tools for dismantling porch lights DIY Christmas Lanterns

    Tools used included pliers, needle nose pliers , small screw drivers, wire cutters, a wrench and/or a socket. A little patience is also helpful!

    Can You Have Too Many Spindles?

    spindle collection

    I was hoping to rest the Christmas lanterns on spindles, so I went to my collection of bits and pieces and spindles. Do you see the perfect pieces?

    I grabbed a couple of choices. I ended up deciding to use the one on the left cut into two pieces.

    Cut spindles on miter saw

    cut wooden spindle on compound miter saw

    Because I wanted the stands to vary in height, I moved the spindle to one side instead of cutting it in half on the compound miter saw.

    wooden round base

    I dug out some wooden round bases from my craft stash.

    Sand & drill

    sand and drill spindle

    After cutting the spindle, I sanded it, marked it and drilled the center. I placed the washer on the end to find center. It makes it easier for me to eyeball it. 🙂

    attach porch light to wooden spindle

    I drilled the hole small so the threaded portion would fit very snug into the spindle. I inserted that into the lantern and replaced the nut to secure the light to the spindle.

    How to countersink a screw

    pre-drill countersink hole in christmas lantern base

    I drilled a very small hole for a screw, then used a larger bit to make a countersink hole so the screw would be inset.

    Glue and screw spindle to base

    long screw for wooden base and spindle

    I used very long 3” screws to attach the wooden base to the spindle.

    gorilla wood glue

    In addition to the long screw—I also used Gorilla Wood Glue.

    DIY Christmas lanterns from porch lights

    how to diy Christmas lanterns from porch lights

    We’re getting there! I removed all of the hardware that had been holding in the glass and the back plate. Aren’t the DIY Christmas Lanterns looking so cute?!

    Do you spray paint in the rain?

    spray painting in the rain

    It was a rainy day, so I spray painted the Christmas lanterns in the garage while standing by the back door. YES! I am an impatient DIY’er. Winking smile

    rainy day spray painting

    I laid these pieces on a scrap piece of foam insulation and held it while I spray painted the tops of the lanterns and the back plates.

    spray painted diy Christmas Lanterns made from porch lights and spindles

    It was time to clean the glass and put everything back together. At this point I’m starting to wish I didn’t have to give these away.

    black diy Christmas lanterns made from porch lights MyRepurposedLife.com

    I picked up some items from The Dollar Tree to style the new DIY Christmas Lanterns. You can see their Seasonal Catalog by clicking that link.

    diy Christmas Lanterns made from porch lights MyRepurposedLife.com

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    It’s time to reveal who will be receiving these festive Christmas Lanterns made from porch lights! Jeanie from Create and Babble – I’m your secret Santa! I know that you will put your own spin on these lanterns, and make them shine in all their glory, maybe even on that beautiful DIY farmhouse table. They will be off to you as soon as I find a box!

    how to make lanterns out of porch lights and reclaimed spindles-not just for the holidays

    This was a fun challenge. I’m excited to find out who MY secret Santa is. You can find out by visiting my friends’ posts below.

    DIY-Holiday-Gift-Idea-Tutorials-Power-Tool-Challenge-Team

    PIN IT!

    Designed Decor - Repurposed Wood Serving Tray  Domestically Speaking - Coastal Terra Cotta Christmas Lantern

    Virginia Sweet Pea - DIY Wood Lanterns for Christmas  My Repurposed Life - DIY Christmas Lanterns Made from Porch Lights

    H2OBungalow - DIY Large Wooden Snowflake  Create and Babble - Oversized Wooden Magnetic Christmas Ornament

    This was a fun project, I love our monthly power tool challenge themes! Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see a new party I’ve put together with my blogger friends using Dollar Store items.

    See more repurposed spindle projects here

    gail

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    1. Jennifer

      October 10, 2018 at 3:42 pm

      The lantern are off the chain. I wish l had used some l had thrown out becase the guts were burned out on one and the other was cut to close to the base for me to fill safe to rehang. I repurpose a lot or things and consider my self very crafty but lam so happy to have found you because l love to use other peoples ideas and go from there. Thanks for all the great project's to keep in mind when hunting for treasures to bring back to something that people say l have to have that.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 12, 2018 at 8:07 pm

        Thanks so much for your comment! I love to inspire people to use my projects as their inspiration and put their own spin on it. 🙂

        Happy Diy'ing!

        gail

    2. J

      December 06, 2017 at 5:32 pm

      I love how these lanterns turned out. My question for you is: Could you have used the round metal parts of the lamp as a base instead of the wooden base, or would they have been too light-weight?

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 06, 2017 at 5:39 pm

        Great question!
        The bases were really odd. I tried to use them, but the neck (where I would have attached the spindle) was oddly shaped so it would sort of "hug" the original light. It was not level which would have made the bottom of the spindle rockety rock rock. 😉

        gail

    3. Cathy

      December 06, 2017 at 12:43 pm

      WOW! These are great! I have a few questions:
      1. How did you remove the screws at either end of the spindle?
      2. where did you get the round wood bases?

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 06, 2017 at 5:28 pm

        Cathy,

        Great questions! I used vice grips to unscrew the hardware from the spindle. The round bases? They were in my stash. I think I probably picked them up at Hobby Lobby or Michael's.
        Thanks for your sweet comment!
        gail

    4. Julie@followyourheartwoodworking

      December 04, 2017 at 6:45 pm

      Such a cute idea that I wish I had read a couple days ago. I threw out a broken light like that and I could have used it like you did!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 04, 2017 at 7:50 pm

        Thanks Julie! I've been sitting on these for a couple of months...just trying to figure out what to do with them. I'm sure yours would be fabulous.

        gail

    5. Terri Hughes

      December 01, 2017 at 12:00 am

      Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 01, 2017 at 3:14 pm

        Thank you so much Terri! I appreciate your comment!

    6. Wendi Wachtel

      November 30, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      Shut the door! These are freakin awesome! I never understand how you put together the ideas you come up with and create the most awesome repurposed projects! Pinned and shared 🙂

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 01, 2017 at 3:16 pm

        Sometimes I surprise myself Wendi. I love how these Christmas lanterns turned out too. I never really plan anything, I just jump in and get started. 😉

        Thanks for pinning and sharing!

        gail

    7. DeDe Designed Decor

      November 30, 2017 at 4:10 pm

      Gail, These are perfect! I see old porch lights like those all the time and keep walking, not now! I love how they turned out! P.S. I want your scrap pile of pieces parts!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 01, 2017 at 3:17 pm

        DeDe,
        I probably wouldn't have picked these up at a thrift store. But these landed in my lap from my neighbor. I just sat and waited until something came to me.
        Thanks for your sweet comment!
        gail

    8. Maryann

      November 30, 2017 at 1:22 pm

      So cute & your stash of spindles - so jealous!!!!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 01, 2017 at 3:18 pm

        I'll be sad when my stash of spindles dwindles. lol

        I pulled another one out today from a different stash for a new project.

        gail

    9. Jeanie

      November 30, 2017 at 12:35 pm

      Yay!!!!! I am thrilled to be the lucky recipient of these adorable Christmas Lanterns! I can't wait to get them. You are so incredibly talented Gail and I'm excited to have My Repurposed Life original pieces of my own! xoxo

      Reply
    10. Paula

      November 30, 2017 at 12:28 pm

      Your lanterns are lovely and I know that Jeanie is going to love using them in her home. You do the best job of turning odds and ends into decorative treasures. I am now wishing that I'd saved some old lights that I got rid of a few years ago. They would have been perfect to make a pair of these for my home.

      Reply
    11. girlfromwva

      November 30, 2017 at 12:17 pm

      so nice! love how they turned out.

      Reply

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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