How to use battery operated lights for stunning vignettes

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Do you like candlelight? But not the expense, the smoke, or the fear of burning the house down? Let’s try battery operated lights.

I stopped using candles when I woke one morning to a candle still burning. Yikes!

Now, we live in a forest in the wood cabin. The fear of forest fires outweighs the flickering glow of candlelight in the evening.

So, we use battery operated lights. I’ve covered battery candles with thrift store sweaters and wax from those old candles I stopped using.

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To show ideas for battery operated lights, I made a shabby chic light, chipped paint, empty frames vignette.

Not just for winter

The DIY icicle branches add a look of winter. In spring, you could add flowers. Summer add greens and fall leaves for autumn.

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Types of battery operated lights I use

Battery candles

Washi tape fits great around the edge of battery tea light candles.

Wired strands

These wired strands make light creative. Above I tucked them inside “outdated” thrift store globes. The pipe looking globe is from a lamp. The metal was gold with crystals hanging from the top.
Bet you won’t pass up an “outdated” thrift store globe again!

Horse pill battery operated lights

At least, that’s what I call them. The battery lights are actually for balloons. I’ve never used them in balloons…yet.

I tuck them in here and there and inside things. There’s one in each of the milk bottles that I painted with white chalk-based paint.

I also dropped one in with the battery tea lights. The tea lights give off a yellow light while the horse pill lights show a white light. The white light counters the yellow a bit.

The silver candle cups holding the trees have a horse pill battery too. 

The horse pill battery lights added a glow through the white plates of this Christmas tree. They’re fun in mason jars too. No wires!

The lights last for about a week when left on for 24 hours every day. Wonder how I know that?!?!

 

Other ideas for battery operated lights

• Lay a strand of lights down the center of your table.  Then cover with a lightweight table runner letting the light glow through the fabric.
• 
• Tuck behind vases or in greens to highlight.  Like the faux snowballs above.
• Hang on a banner.
• Add to a mason jar filled with Epson salt for a soft glow. 
• Make snowmen that glow.
• I have no idea yet if this works, but I’m trying with our next snowstorm.  Tuck “horse pill” lights into the snow to write a name that glows.

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The soft glow in evening adds cozy comfort. So far, I haven’t burned the house down. But my cooking…might!