An Old Lantern Repurposed Into Solar Lighting

I found this rusty old lantern at an estate sale and fell in love. It was the perfect piece to make over into a solar light for our front porch.

Repurpose projects are always fun, no matter if they are big or small. Repurposing this old lantern was part of our Porch Makeover Project.

My husband and I found this wonderful old, beat-up lantern at an estate sale several years ago. I had intentions of using it as a repurposed lighting feature on the front porch all along. Finally, it is done!

It is completely rusted, isn’t it! I wish I could know everywhere this old lantern had been. Oh, the stories it could tell!

Project Supplies

• Old lantern
• Red paint
• Glass jar
• Red Marbles
• Solar light

Paint

A little paint can make a big difference! After giving the old lantern a good cleaning. I let it dry. Then I spray painted it bright red. You can still tell it is an old piece, and I love that!

The jar

I already had the old glass jar. I tried several different sizes of Mason jars, but none were really big enough around to do the space justice. An old Mason jar would have been perfect though.

Marbles

I picked up the red glass marbles at a local thrift store. The purpose of the marbles is to reflect the light. I chose red marbles because that is what I found at the thrift store. Any color would likely work.

Solar light

We had one solar light left over from our Solar Chandelier project. This is simply the same solar light used for path lighting in the yard. All I needed for this project was the top piece with the solar panel and the light. I placed it on top of the jar to create a nice glow at night.

So, when you shop for the solar light, be sure it will fit on top of the glass jar you use.

I am absolutely in love with this wonderful old lantern. Just look at the character it has! It is an eclectic piece of functional decor for our front porch.

I love the crusty but painted look. It is exactly what I was hoping for! The brand name is visible right here on the base, but I’m not familiar with it.

Our wonderful old crusty lantern repurposed as a solar light has the least little glow at Dusk. This addition to our Porch Makeover Project creates a little mood lighting.

Apparently I have a nice little collection of lighting pieces going on. I didn’t realize it until the Lantern Makeover project was finished. The Angel lamp was my Mother’s. She was fascinated with Angels and loved to read about them in the Bible.

The tablecloth I used was also my Mother’s. She did all of the embroidery on it herself. She used it for our Sunday dinners.

More Repurpose and Upcycle Project Ideas

Thank you for sharing!