Sun Jars

I've been seeing these everywhere and I absolutely love them! They are such a cute idea and can bring light to your dark dorm room. You could also use them at a party!
original here

a fellow fp girl sent this to me a couple weeks back and i’ve been thinking about it ever since! i can think of a million reasons why these would be awesome… as apartment décor, as outdoor party décor, and – wouldn’t they be the best thing EVER for camping in general or at a festival? just let them sit in the sun all day, and they’ll last all night! i am absolutely going to make some to bring with me to bonnaroo this year.
you can by a sun jar here, but you can make your own for much cheaper! i am not good with technical things, like putting together a solar power cell, so i found the easy way :)
what you need:

a mason jar with a clear glass lid like this one from ikea, a solar garden light like the ones pictured above, which i found here, adhesive and glass frosting spray.
start by spraying the inside of the jar with the frosting spray – this will help diffuse the light and give it a warm glow. don’t spray the lid though! it needs to be clear in order to work. next you’ll need to take apart the solar lamp – apparently this can be a lot easier than it sounds, depending on what kind of lamp you purchase.  certain kinds can simply be unscrewed and the solar/battery pack remains intact, whereas others will require some reassembly with adhesive. see here and here for examples.


glue the solar cell, or the parts you’ve harvested from the garden lamp, to the underside of the jar’s lid, and you’re done! close the lid, put your jar in direct sunlight, and it’ll glow all night long!