My neighbor made this for me one year for Christmas. It's a string of lights in a red mason jar. This isn't a good pic, that square white piece is showing too much. It takes 3 AAA batteries and they need changing about every three weeks or so.

It sits on a pedestal in the livingroom right now. I had it out for Christmas and decided I liked it there glowing in the evening.

I am hoping to have them in the garden with a similar solar cell as shown. or or???? suggestions.

I don't have luck with solar lights. I even bought the proper solar batteries but couldn't get it right.

Ya know C....Dollar Tree has solar lights....for $1.25. Just take the tops off and your set. They last about a year.

I too second getting solar lights without a battery. They last at least a couple of years for me.

Ok I got some !! Will get them set up after the SNOW again !! Darn . tonight and tomorrow 2-6" predicted. Then 15 degrees for two nights and by Thursday supposedly will be 60 !!! Insane.

Enablers! I just ordered some. Gotta do something with all this abundant sunshine.

Solar are the easiest but in my experience don't last, or give off much glow for more than a season, so don't get attached.

They've arrived!

Dumb question:

I've never used these before. The lights are sort of coiled up inside the jar. Do I leave them as is, or uncoil and sort of spread the string around so the lights are dispersed? The directions don't address this.

uncoil and disperse. If you google images of jar/fairy lights you will see lots of ideas.

Thanks Trail!

Ooooooh!!!

I set them out to charge yesterday. Nothing. Today I checked to make sure there was actually a battery. There was a little plastic piece keeping the battery from the contact thing that I hadn't removed (directions never mentioned it). I didn't think there was enough light left, but just looked out my kitchen window and saw this! Now I just have to find a spot for them.

Following because if I ever get around to it I have a lantern I'm working on for hanging outside the front door. I'd like it to go on at night and off during the day but it is so small not sure how to get it on a timer . . . solar would be great if I could get it to work. I had zero luck with the solar patio lights I bought . . .

@Bunny @l pinkmountain

https://www.google.com/search?q=do+solar+lights+need+to+be+turned+off+to+charge&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS676US676&oq=do+solar+lights+need+to+be+turned+off+to+charge&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390l3.28544j0j7&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

What a nice addition to your outdoors space, Trail, love those lights!

Trail,

they look beautiful but for the non DIY here can you explain what you did.

did you put fairy lights in the lantern then put solar disc on top but did you have to attach fairy lights to solar disc. also where did you buy the disc.

@Lyban zone 4 these are the ones I bought but an 8 pack not https://www.amazon.com/Solar-powered-Included-Waterproof-Hanging-Lighting/dp/B074WN994S/ref=asc_df_B074WN994S/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=232740426404&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14628757707647779828&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008863&hvtargid=pla-391873840042&psc=1

They went out about 4hrs after I shot that picture. So they werent charged enough before . I read it says to charge 3 days with button on “off “ so battery gets fully charged. Then you can use them with the button on ”on” and it will charge as you use them .About every 7 days you should put it on off in bright light to get a good base charge again. Battery is a rechargable and should last 3-4 yrs.

What I am going to do is keep two strings in a sunny window and swap them out!

After I found mine were aglow last night (didn't note when they went on but guessing around 6pm) I took them from the backyard and hung them in my smaller Japanese maple in the front yard. When I got up this morning at 5:30, still very dark, all but one jar were still lit. It's now 7am and all are off but one.

So, is this how they work? Some are more robust than others? It's the first time I've had any solar lights and my meager research says they come on and go off according to ambient light. I assume I leave the inner switch to ON. I certainly don't want the lights/battery working during daylight hours.

I'm not sure I'll leave them in the tree, but man, they sure look good at night.

@Bunny my understanding is when left on they will charge some while also still using some in daylight hours and at night they will be using whatever is stored in the battery. If turned to off they will only charge to refill the battery. They are less efficient if it is really cold so I think that is also why mine didn’t get enough charge as it was 8 degrees yesterday morning when they were outside. it is going to be cloudy and stormy the next two days so they are inside in a West window.

@User Thanks Trail. It was in the 30s last night. One jar is still valiantly aglow even though the sun is poking over the rooftops.

Since the on/off switch is located on the underside (inside) of the lid, turning on and off couldn't be a routine situation. My understanding is you turn them off if you're storing them or otherwise want to take them offline.

It was funny that the directions made no mention of removing the tab between the battery and contact. Initially I thought it was one of those things under the battery that help you remove it from its nesting place. So I pulled and it just came away. I had to laugh at myself. No wonder they didn't work.

There is so much confusing info if you look at the link above. It said in one place to put it on off every 7 days in bright light to fully restore the battery. I am just going to get them fully charged on off when the next sunny days come. I need two Shepherds hooks for the garden so i can put them in their final home

The further search for the elusive winter outdoor lighting! I've used timers before, but my lantern is small so it would be difficult to rig something up to a timer without it looking obtrusive I think. The battery run ones are OK, but batteries run down because they are on all the time, but they last a couple of months so probably all good.

I was looking at all the fairy light stuff on Amazon and found some lantern's made of plastic, but look real, which would be great in this OK wind.

Lots of ideas for fairy lights online. I could make something for DGD, she'd love it.

Trail, don't you have a granddaughter? Have you thought about getting her supplies for a fairy garden? I did for mine and we had a blast.

@l pinkmountain these are rechargable batteries and the sun recharges them so I believe they last as the above link says for 3-4 years. Not like a regular battery. I have had no sun today and there won't be any tomorrow so this is all on hold . Ugh

Trail, from what I've read, pure sun isn't required, but light is. My jars have been bathed in bright sunshine all day. They look funny during the day, sort of like insect traps.

Well they stay on about 5 min. then go dark suddenly. if i push it to off and then back to on they do it again … bright a few minutes then dark. I will give them bright artificial light tomorrow all day and see what that does but if they still go out then they go back. irritating

Have a single solar powered uplight outdoors. It's been going strong for the past 2 years.

Tried one of these lanterns a few years ago. Didn't last more than a season.

https://www.allsopgarden.com/product/soji-original-solar-lantern/

Love fairy lights, but only use them indoors on bookcases and in a glass block.

I guess I scared them! or maybe they got enough light… any anyway they are inside and very happy here on this awful windy stormy night.

Nevermind they cut on and off and they are two new ones that have charged for two days. returning tomorrow. battery operated only from now on!

Well I failed the IQ test with solar lights.🤦‍♀️😂 The reason they kept going on and off was because I turned on a lamp!!!! Duh.. too much light in the room and they go out… sigh. So they stay and I need to move out!

How do they know? i know it’s not magic but it kinda is.

My lights, in jars out in my tree, are on. I’m amazed and grateful that somebody figured out how to do this.

dH says its a photo diode when the light shines on it a current is produced which activates the off switch … DH says this is NOT strictly true but for us plebeians its ok lol! They are WAY smarter than I am…

Very cool looking, Trail.

I really want to make a solar chandelier and this is inspiring me!

I have never used the fairy lights, but we have several types of solar lights outside. The newest addition being the strands of lights we added to our pergola last year. All our solar lights seem to stay on through the night. I would guess if we had several days of clouds/rain, etc. they might lose their power until the next sunny day (for charging). I really haven't checked that closely, but we haven't had any problems.

Solar lights are a great invention. We put solar cap lights on the stairway posts at our lake home. They work great even though the area is quite wooded