My family is so lucky to live in Southern California. I’m originally from the midwest, so there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t realize how fortunate I am to be living in such a beautiful area. Being able to enjoy outdoor flowers and foliage year round is a treat. We currently have hanging flower baskets in our backyard, but after awhile they needed to be refreshed.
My super smart husband figured out that it was more cost effective to buy new hanging baskets rather than replace the the insides of them. Once I saw the empty wire frames I knew I had to make something with them. The outdoor chandelier craft was born!
My daughter and I worked together to attach two empty wire flower baskets together with black pipe cleaners to make a globe shape. But, first we filled them with a large string of white holiday lights in the center. We used the kind that we could adjust the “twinkle” factor on the set of lights. I cut the black pipe cleaners into 3 pieces each. We secured the two baskets together, as well as the lights hanging from the top of the now globe-shaped wire frame. This allowed the twinkling lights to hang nicely throughout the frame.
It was that easy!
We reused one of the chain hangers from one of the baskets too, and attached it to the top of our homemade outdoor chandelier. We hung it above our outdoor patio area, and now we can enjoy it year round! Lovely!
I love when I can re-purpose something into something beautiful!
Happy crafting!
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Yay! Glad to have you! Thanks for the great comment!
This is amazing!!! I might try it myself!!!
I love this! I am doing this for my barn wedding reception! Now I just need to run across a lot of these flower baskets at thrift stores. Thanks!
Love it! great idea!!
If you live near a big lots they normally have the flower baskets for a good price!
Good tip! I think that is where my husband purchased our new flower baskets when he realized it was more cost effective to buy new baskets altogether rather than replace the insides of them.
Love this idea. Think I’m going to paint the baskets white and use white instead of green wire on the lights. Found some “warm” LED Christmas lights online that don’t have the ugly blue glow if you’re looking to conserve energy.
Just saw this on Apartment Therapy, pinning it now!
Great idea, you are awesome!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I’m assuming you used an extension cord to plug in the lights?
Hi Jenn,
Actually, I made sure to use battery operated lights so I didn’t have to try and string the lights to a plug in with an extension cord. There is a link in the post of the exact lights I ordered if you want to check it out. = )
Hi, I LOVE this idea as well, and am also wondering where you got these lights–I can’t seem to find the link anywhere in the post!
I LOVE this idea and hope to recreate one of my own. I noticed you mentioned a link to where you purchase the twinkle, battery operated lights but I can not locate it. Would you mind directing me to where this is on the page? Thank you`
I am making one (or two) of these this next week for our patio!!! LOVE!!
Love this!! I have been saving mine, and had some ideas, but this is so easy and gorgeous!! thanks for sharing!!
I love love love the basket lights…just showed my husband…we can do this I said!!
Thank you…I am excited 🙂
I’m so glad you found the DIY! We absolutely love our basket lights in the backyard at night.
I love all your ideas. This one is great. I just found solar powered lights online at Lakeside Collections so now I have no excuse to put one of these up in my canopy… Thank you for all your idea. I have 1 tween daughter and 1 teen daughter. We love looking at your ideas.
You are so sweet! I am so glad you and your girls enjoy crafting together!
I have a gum-ball machine that I broke the globe on. I had originally thought that I would recycle this item into a plant stand. After seeing your use of the planters, I am going to do the same using colored lights and have myself a light-up gum-ball machine. Thanks for the inspiration!
So cool! That sounds like a fabulous upcycle project!
I saw this idea on Hallmark’s channel 312 on the Home&Family show this morning. They totally gave your pinterest site credit for the craft and gave us your blog address, so I decided to come by and check it out. I like yours better because they used smaller solar lights. Great idea!
OMG! Thanks for the heads up on the feature! So glad you found us!
Just a question, with the lights so close together, do they tend to get warm easily or overheat? I love this idea and have a really ugly light in my room (just moved in with my boyfriend and his roommate and let me tell you, they don’t exactly decorate). I’d love to jazz it up and do this but worried if it could be a potential fire hazard just because the light might be on for a good portion of the day.
I haven’t experienced the lights getting really hot. Although, we keep them outside on our patio. I would imagine though, it is just like Christmas lights strung together on a tree.
I really love this idea ,stumbled over your article by accident & glad I did iI’m looking for a way to repurpose a metal wine carrier that holds 6 bottles & has a wooden handle. I picked them up out of a bargain basket for $1.00 have 4 of them, have any ideas ? Would really appreciate it I’m stumped ! Thankyou again for the great idea on the baskets , how long of a strand of lights did you use ? Kathy
Love, love, love this idea. My neighbor is having a huge graduation pool party in two weeks and was trying to come up with some type of outdoor lighting and I came across your Pinterest and knew this was what we needed to do. I’ve got several of the wire baskets in my garage that I just wasn’t sure what to do with and now I’m so glad I kept them. Again thank you for sharing your creativity.
Love it! Thanks for the great comment. I’m so glad you are inspired to make your own chandeliers!
Thank you so much for posting this! I ran across it while searching for an outdoor chandelier to hang from the inside of our new round Gazebo we are putting together. Was wanting one with battery operated lights so we didn’t have to run an electrical cord to. This is absolutely perfect! (also loved your idea of party lights with the decorate cups).
Thanks for finding us Wendy, and the great comment! Happy crafting!
Would love to make the watering can Chrystals & flower pot chandelier.
Thanks
Such a great idea!!! Thanks for coming up with that one!
I went out this morning and picked up inexpensive wire baskets and I’m planning on making a chandelier for my new gazebo.. I love this idea. thanks so much for posting.