DIY | Solar Tiki Torches

There were a few surprises when we moved into our new home.  Some good, some bad.

The padlock on the outside of the master bedroom?  I'll go with bad.  And creepy (our house is not haunted, our house is not haunted, our house is not haunted).

The outdoor chimney?  All good.

The tiki torches?  At first glance, bad.  But when the junk haulers came, I clang.  They had potential.  I'm not a hoarder.  I promise.

Tikis can seem a bit thematic and when they aren't in use, the lack of function drives me a little crazy.

So my solution?  Turn the everyday tiki into a solar lamp and add some low maintenance succulents.  Part vertical planter, part solar light.  And the best part is that I can easily remove the solar lights and add back the tiki fuel for our next backyard BBQ.

(Want to skip the DIY and buy direct?  Check out these solar Tikis from Amazon.)

I wanted a more rustic feel, but you can modify color and twine to fit your taste.

Total Time: 2 hours
Materials:
1.  Old tiki torches (or use new torches and avoid the spray paint)
2.  2 cans of spray paint of your choosing (this allowed for two+ coats on five torches)
3.  Drop cloth
4.  Twine (want color? switch to yarn or washi tape!)
5.  Solar lights
6.  Plants (I grabbed extra succulents from my front yard)
7.  Plant basket liner and some soil 




















Instructions:

Remove oil canisters

Spray paint both sides of tiki torches.  I used about two cans for five torches.

Knot twine and begin to twist around torch's pole.  





















When you have the coverage you want, tie the end of the twine to the beginning knot.  Trim as necessary.  Repeat as needed.  I added more twine to the top portion.

Cut a small piece of the basket liner and shape into a cup.





















Push the liner down into the base of the tiki.  It doesn't need to stay in an exact cup as long as it will hold some dirt for the succulent.  Put the succulent root through the bottom part, on top of the liner material.  Add dirt and push the light down.

More succulents to be added this weekend, but you get the idea.

Voila!  Please excuse our yard.  It's under construction.