Upcycle a Solar Light

posted in: Garden Projects, Whimsy | 4

On Friday mornings I have started going to a craft session at our local Sport and Wellness Centre with my friend.  Each week there is a different craft to make and you also get to meet some new crafting friends.  The first week we went the session said it was using CD’s.  Thanks Gail for sharing this idea with us.

We made a reflector for a solar light using CD’s, gems, and other sparkly bits that would reflect the light once it got dark.  You glue two cd’s together, shiny side out.  Be sure to let the glue dry before you start adding the bling.

After gluing the ads together the next thing to do is check to see the size of the hole in the ads is big enough to fit over the solar light. Some fit and some don’t and it is much easier to enlarge the hole before all the gems are glued on.

Take the solar light apart and see if the cd fits over the clear plastic part.

How to make a cd reflector at craftygardener.ca

To enlarge the hole you can use an xacto knife and carefully file away to make the hole bigger.

How to make a cd reflector at craftygardener.ca

My husband used a sanding wheel on his drill, it fit perfectly inside the hole and he carefully moved it round and round the hole to enlarge it.

How to make a cd reflector at craftygardener.ca

The fun part is adding all the gems and sparkly bits.  It was important to lay out all the pieces and move them around till you got the right combination.  I also used bits of another cd that had been cut.  A tip for cutting cd’s is to warm them under hot water for a little while and they cut so much easier.

a cd reflector at craftygardener.ca

Once you are happy with the arrangement you can start gluing them down.  I use a transparent glue called E6000 for all my craft projects.  I buy mine at Michaels when they have a 50% off coupon for a bargain price.  Here is the second one that I made.

How to make a cd reflector at craftygardener.ca

Once the glue is totally dry you are ready to slip it onto the solar light, add the bottom and poke it into your plant pot where it will charge all day in the sun.

a cd reflector at craftygardener.ca

At night when the solar light comes on it reflects on the cd and sends interesting light patterns out.

How to make a cd reflector at craftygardener.ca

This is going to be a great project to make with the grandkids.

Here are two more cd crafts I’ve made in the past –   a dangler using cd’s, copper wire, and flat gems anda key wind chime.

garden bling from old cd's, copper wire, flat gems and marbles at craftygardener.ca
key chimes made with 2 old cds, fishing line and old keys

Have you used old cds to make any crafts? Here are some more cd crafts I’ve made

Crafts with old cds and records

the gardener side at craftygardener.ca

see more garden whimsy

garden whimsy from craftygardener.ca

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4 Responses

  1. Margy

    Good idea. I’m going to try to see if I can incorporate something like that on top of my canning jar solar lights. – Margy

  2. Teresa

    That’s a lovely idea, it looks so much better now.
    Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned.

Comments are closed.