She Turns Birch Bark Into A Creative Way To Light Up Your Porch

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As evening falls, it can feel downright magical to sit on your front porch, enjoying the night breezes and the sounds of crickets tuning up for their nightly symphonic performance. Enjoying nature by moonlight is a lovely way to end the day, but it's usually not a bright enough light to keep you safe. You probably still want some artificial light to illuminate steps and pathways. While there are some gorgeous, high-end fixtures for sale, lighting up your yard at night doesn't have to mean breaking the bank. You can adorn affordable solar spotlights with birch bark to add rustic charm to your porch on a budget.

YouTube creator Donna of CreArtive By Nature used cylindrical solar stake lights from Dollar Tree for this DIY lighting project. She hid the metal body of the lights inside tubes of birch bark to create a new fixture that looks far more natural than the industrial original. While the particular solar lights Donna used in her tutorial are no longer available at Dollar Tree, you can likely find something elsewhere that fits your needs.

First, assess your yard to help you select the right outdoor solar lights to fit your specific needs. This set of four Pure Garden Solar Powered LED Outdoor Stake Spotlights is an example of the kind of solar-powered lights from Amazon you'll want in your backyard. The other supplies you'll need to complete this project include natural birch tubes large enough to fit around the lights' casings and a pair of scissors to trim the tubes for a neat custom fit. You can purchase birch tubes from craft-focused sites like Etsy.

You've probably already determined that birches are a shade tree that can't be beat when it comes to bark beauty. Since birch bark is an organic material, it needs to be thoroughly cleaned. The aim is to remove dirt and debris and kill any mold spores or insects lingering on it from its days in the wild, particularly if you legally foraged it from fallen trees instead of buying it. Wearing gloves, mist the bark tubes with some heavily diluted bleach to kill any mold. Then use a butter knife to scrape off any debris from the inside of the tube. If needed, soften the bark by soaking it in warm water for about an hour, keeping in mind that thicker pieces may need a longer soak. Unroll the tubes with the white side out, then allow them to dry completely.

As outlined in the CreArtive By Nature tutorial, lay the spotlights onto the rolled-out birch tubes and trace around them with a pencil. Cut the tubes to size with scissors, then cut notches to fit around the solar panel and ground stake. Squeeze silicone adhesive onto the light fixture and fit the birch tube over your light like a sleeve, adjusting it until the light is hidden. Bark is naturally weather-resistant when on a living tree, but once it's removed it may need extra protection. If you'd like to preserve it and reduce shedding, coat the bark with a layer of non-glossy clear varnish, like this DecoArt American DuraClear Matte Varnish, which costs a little over $13. Now, you're ready to illuminate your outdoor space without the hassle of hardwiring lights but with lots of rustic charm. You can place these bark-adorned fixtures around your porch or in potted plants.