Category Archives: DIY

Minnow Bucket Patio Table Light

Many years ago I converted this old minnow bucket I purchased at an antique store into a light to hang over the table on our deck.

Materials used…
Inner portion of a minnow bucket.
Outdoor light socket.
Extension cord.
Plumbing strap.
Eye bolt.
Washers – 2.
Wire nuts.
Fish stringer.
Electrical tape.
Light bulb.

The light socket is made of rubber suited for outdoor use.

I drilled 2 holes in the bottom of the bucket. One for an eye bolt to hang the bucket by and the other to run the cord through.

I made an L bracket from plumbing strap and attached it inside using the eye bolt. I then used zip ties to attach the socket to the L bracket. To wire it I cut off the female end of an extension cord, ran it through the hole I drilled and then wire nutted it to the socket. I wrapped electrical tape around the cord where it goes through the hole. I’ve had no problems with this but it might be better to use an electrical box cable clamp. The light is hung by a fish stringer which also helps to hide the cord.

The cord runs to an electrical outlet on our deck which we just plug in to turn the light on.

Solar Chandelier

Well over a year ago while on a bike ride I found this light fixture dumped on the side of the road. I couldn’t resist bringing it home even though I had no plans for it. When Nova seen it she suggested we put solar lights on it and hang it outside.

I finally got around to doing it. I removed the wiring and flipped the light fixtures upside down. Was lucky that the solar lights we picked pressed right in to the fixture. Even though it’s currently hanging from a tree it does receive enough sun to charge the lights.

Painting Cheap Sunglasses

If I were to buy expensive sunglasses I would loose or break them but the $3 pairs I purchased years ago I still have and are in pretty good shape. Time for a change though. Decided to give them a patina’d or distressed look.

The lenses pop out the front. I rough up the plastic with a foam sanding block. Give a coat of primer. Once primer is dry I cover with a color. When color is dry I go over again with the sanding block. Pop the lenses back in and done.

Print Your Own Print

We were needing something to hang on our bathroom walls that fit with the theme of our bedroom. I found some cheap framed prints and replaced the original prints with some I found on the internet that I re-sized to fit the frames and then printed myself. Note their may be copyright issues with images you find on the internet.

Garden Bench

I just come across these photos of garden benches I made a few years ago. They are a simple design I come up with on the fly. I made 2, one for ourselves and one for our Daughter. Ours is the painted one which eventually started to rot and also needed to be moved from its location so we just got rid of it. Our Daughter gave hers to a neighbor when she moved and no longer had a place for it.