I have a collection of old 50's glasses I call party glasses. I keep them on hand for that special cocktail party I will one day have. Through the years I was not very discriminating with some of the glasses and my collection has grown a little out of control. What to do with these glasses I only have one of? Light fixtures but of course! You can make a plain old candle to sit on a table or you can make a whole string of them to light up your back yard.

SUPPLIES: Party Glass, Candle Wax, & Wicks

Choose an old ratty pan, Martha Stewart would say use a double boiler, but any old pot will do. Melt your wax all up over low or medium heat. Cut off enough wick string to reach the bottom of your glass, and wind one end around a pencil. Lay the pencil flat across the top of the glass and let your wick hang in and extend to the bottom of the glass. Now go and get your melted wax and pour it into the glass, about an inch should be left at the top. Let harden and presto! Untie the wick from your pencil and trim. There is your party glass candle. Set around the house and you are good to go.

SUPPLIES: Votive candles, 5 mix matched party glasses from your local thrift store, Copper Wire any malleable gage, Needle Nose Pliers, Wire Snips, & Rope

If you are working with a glass with a lid, such as an old jelly jar (you could even use something big like a mason jar) this kind of makes things easier. First, string some of the copper wire around the glass snugly so that it can't slide off because of the lip. Secure three pieces of wire to the piece that goes around the circumference of the glass. Leave about 6 inches of wire and bring together at top and tie on trees or nails on your garage, where ever you need lighting. If you are working with a glass that does not have a lip, and most of the larger glasses do not these are the steps to follow.

- Wrap a piece of stronger, larger gauged wire around the glass snugly like you did with the other lipped lanterns. With another piece of wire on one end make a curly cue or something bulbous, you could wrap the end around a marble or something. With the needle nose pliers bend that end in the glass it's self, just so that it is hanging right over the edge, hooked into the glass. Bend the wire down the side of the glass, stringing it underneath the piece of wire that goes around the glass, bend it around the bottom and up the back side making sure the wire again goes underneath the wire encircling the glass, almost as if you were going to wrap it all the way around. Then when you get to the top of the other side of the glass instead of bending the wire so that it would make a square you make it about 2 or 3 inches long then use your pliers and bend a hook into the end. Look at the picture if this makes little to no sense.

-After you have done all 5 glasses. Get your piece of rope. Get enough to string between two trees outside, or where ever you are wanting to hang them. Tie 10 knots in the rope, 2 knots for each lantern. Place the knots about half an inch apart then skip a foot for the next two knots. You are going to hook/hang your lantern in-between the two knots so that it does slide all over the rope. Hang the lanterns and drop your votive candles in, spark em' up at party time, and there you go lanterns all around your garden!