Skip Pricey Outdoor Lights: The Cuter DIY That Uses Milk Jugs

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Empty plastic milk jugs are a favorite among DIYers. And it isn't just because they are ubiquitous, though having a ready supply of them to work with certainly bolsters their popularity. They're also cheap and pliable, and with a little imagination, they can become almost anything you want. Mini greenhouses for your budding garden plants. Bricks for backyard igloo forts for your kids. And outdoor lanterns to light up your patio. You just need to be willing to cut them apart, and then dress 'em up to fit your backyard's aesthetic once all that deconstructing is done.

TikToker @sibster_made, the brainchild behind this light project, gives DIYers a road map for how to do it. The basic outdoor light requires an empty quart-sized plastic milk jug. It'll be lit from within, thanks to some battery-operated fairy lights, like HXWEIYE Battery-Operated Fairy Lights. Twine, construction paper, and dried, pressed flowers and leaves are the additional raw materials you'll need to turn the empty milk carton into a glowing lantern.

To make your DIY hanging lantern, you'll need a handful of tools and supplies. Dishwashing soap, a scrubber, and possibly an X-Acto knife to help you clean the jug. Scissors, craft glue, a paintbrush, drawing supplies, and a hole punch take care of the rest.

The milk jug has to be cleaned and scrubbed before you start. You'll also need to remove its label. Once these steps are complete, cut off the nozzle portion of the jug just below the base of the carton's built-in handle. Next, draw silhouette shapes like hearts, butterflies, people, and other cute images onto the construction paper, then cut them out. Glue those, as well as your dried, pressed flowers and leaves, onto the sides of the jug using an adhesive like Mod Podge Craft Glue. 

Or, if you're a stencil fan, use spray paint and a stencil pattern to decorate the sides of the jug. It's also possible to skip painting and gluing altogether. LOVEINUSA 10-Pack Flower-Shaped Paper Hole Punch Craft Set makes holes that look like flowers and forest animals. Use it to create a series of holes that make for some cute and shapely light patterns on the body of your lantern.

@sibster_made

Milk jug lanterns using printed silhouettes and pressed flowers #lanterndiy #diylantern #upcycling

♬ Natural – Florian Christl

Finally, drop the string lights into the bottom of the jug. Then, punch a hole in two of the corners of the jug on opposite sides from one another. String some twine through the holes and hang up the light. Or, make a half dozen or so lanterns sans the twine handles. You'll set those on the ground to create an outdoor walkway that adds ambiance. It's a sweet and inexpensive lighting solution for an occasion like a backyard party.