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Whether you are looking for a tropical touch or a modern one, coconut lanterns will light up your deck or outdoor space beautifully. Aaron Caramanas joins us to share several stylish outdoor projects made from coconut shells.
Coconuts palms have been called the tree of life because they supply so many of our basic human needs from water to food to shelter and much more. The shells alone are used for bowls, buttons, spoons, mulch and craft projects like lanterns, candles and birdfeeders.
Coconut Lanterns:
Materials:
Fresh coconuts or coconut shells
Brown electric cording (about 20-feet)
Paint pen
Carnival socket with candelabra base
Plug and cap hardware
add-a-tap male and female plug parts
Tools:
Bowl (large enough to set coconut as it drains)
Drill and 1/4 -inch drill bit
Chop saw (or hand saw with vice)
Directions:
1. Place coconut in a wide-mouthed cup or bowl with the 3 'eyes' pointing up. Using a drill with a ¼-inch drill bit, drill 2 holes about 1-inch apart centered on the top of the coconut, then drain the nut of it's liquid.
2. Using a chop saw (or hand saw and vice) slice off the non-drilled end of the nut, giving you a cup about 4-inches deep. Remove the coconut meat with a pairing knife.
3. Give yourself about 8 to 10 feet of slack for plugging in lights, then mark the cord every 18-inches with a paint pen. Weave the cord in and out of the shells with each pen mark centered inside each of the cups. Individually attach lantern light sockets at pen marks by sandwiching the cord between the hardware as you screw it back together. The prongs will pierce through rubber coating to the electric wiring to make their connection. Attach electric plug and cap hardware to ends or cord and string lights above your outdoor dining area for a festive tropical feel.
Coconut container candles:
Drain coconut as above and saw the end off with the 3 eyes. Make another pass with the saw 1' in, making both a ring and a cup then remove all the meat.
The ring becomes a perfect support for the cup so it doesn't topple over. Place a primed candlewick in cup. Fill cup with melted bees wax with a few drops of coconut or any other essential oil. Secure wick with a clothespin and chopstick so it remains centered.
Let cool and it will be ready to enjoy in just a few hours
Coconut bird feeders:
Prepare holes in coconut the same as lanterns, then drain the liquid. Using a hole-saw drill bit, make a 2-inch hole into the side of the coconut. Remove the meat again as before. String the desired length of twine through the 2 holes. Fill shell with birdseed and hang from a tree limb
Special Thanks:
Aaron Caramanas