Gardener Turns An Old Teapot And Planter Into The Cutest Outdoor Light Feature

Reinvent the idea of a garden tea party with a DIY project that sets your yard aglow. The idea comes from the Chas' Crazy Creations YouTube channel and starts with an old planter. Chas creates a display of solar lights and DIY flowers crafted from upcycled materials. But the star of the display is a teapot hanging from a shepherd's hook at an angle and a tea cup that sits below. Together, it's a fanciful vignette with flowers, a teapot, and lights.

There are plenty of outdoor lighting ideas to brighten your home, but this one sprinkles in a dash of whimsy with the different decorative elements. Even better, many of the accents, like the teapot, cup, spoon flower petals, and spigot knob flowers, are upcycled items — find them around your house or thrift them to make this project low-cost. You can also use an old planter as the base for the project. In the inspiration project, the teapot is white, but you can choose a colorful pot or a fun pattern to make the display stand out. Or, gather paint or other supplies to decorate the pot. Then, find a cup and saucer that coordinate with the pot.

The original includes a single solar light stake embedded in the soil in the planter — look for a similar round, cracked glass solar light to replicate the original. But you can add more solar stakes or incorporate lights in other ways to brighten this display and make it a more integral outdoor lighting idea. Outdoor-rated puck lights and fairy lights are examples of lighting options to have on hand as you assemble your display. If you don't want to DIY everything, you can simply choose assorted solar lights, like these Kooper Lily Solar Lights.

Clean up the planter you're using if necessary. You'll want to fill the pot with soil if it isn't already because the decorations have stakes that need the soil to hold them in place. You can put cardboard and newspaper in the bottom of large planters to keep them lighter and save on soil. You can also cover the soil with decorative rocks or plant flowers in it if you want to hide the dirt.

Prep the teapot by washing it well. If you want to paint it or add decorations, do that now. You might add three-dimensional detailing with air-dry clay or paint patterns on it. Decoupaging patterns or images onto the pot is an option, but use Mod Podge Outdoor Sealer to extend the life of the decorations. In the original, the creator hangs a tear-shaped clear bead with wire from the teapot's spout. If you want to add a lighted element to the teapot, replace that bead with small strands of fairy lights running out of the spout. Then, hang the handle over the hook of a short shepherd's hook, so it looks like it's pouring.

The teacup is a related element that enhances the garden tea party look. Glue a cup to a saucer. Chas uses an old metal candle holder with a flat top to hold the cup in her display. You could also use an outdoor drink holder stake to support the teacup. If you want the cup to glow, place a small outdoor puck light or a bundle of outdoor fairy lights inside.

The key lighting piece in the original display is a flower made from a round solar light stake, similar to these Solpex Solar Garden Lights. To make the petals, bend spoons that you thrift or find at Dollar Tree. The original uses four spoons, but you can add more to make the petals overlap. Leave the spoons plain, or spray paint them to create a colorful faux bloom. Then, use gaffer's tape to hold the spoons onto the stake just below the round light. You can make multiple flowers if you want a stronger glow.

Other accents in the planter don't glow, but they add whimsy with the floral theme. One option is to glue a flat glass candle holder to a metal stake as a little flower. Or, use thrifted plates to make stunning garden decor flowers by gluing decorative dinnerware to stakes. You can even combine both ideas, using the glass candle holder as the center of the plate flower. Another version is using spigot handles, like these Zhmeina Outdoor Faucet Handles, glued to metal stakes. They're roughly shaped like flowers, and you can spray paint them to different colors.

Arrange all of the accents in the soil in the planter. Positioning the details at different heights gives the display dimension and visual interest — you often achieve that with plants of different heights. Placing the teapot in the center toward the back of the planter makes it the focal point and leaves space for the upcycled flowers, which are usually shorter, in the front.