satsuma lamp

Tonight is winter solstice, the darkest night of the year and the perfect time for lighting a simple lamp.


This idea has been around for awhile—I think it first appeared here as a Clementine Candle. Typically it is halved and a star-shaped vent is cut into the lid like so:

However, D and I are partial to satsumas, having spent many winters in Japan where consuming a 200-yen bag of mikan over the course of an evening is its own special joy. I also found that the vent quickly blackened and didn't look that great, so here is my resulting modification.


First you have to know that the stem end is going to sit down, as it has the long pith that serves as a wick.

Score your satsuma about 1/3 way down and carefully peel that away. Then pull the fruit out, have a little snack and—here's the critical step—go to bed. In my experiments, I found that shells which were left to dry overnight burned brighter. So I recommend letting it sit for at least a few hours.

a dried satsuma shell

Place your satsuma rind in a holder of your choice. I used a wooden tea saucer and some pebbles because they were at hand.


Now all you have to do is add about a tablespoon of olive oil (other oils might work, but olive oil is particularly clean burning) and light the wick. This tiny little lamp will burn through dinner, dessert, and even a glass of wine and a game of cards afterwards. As I write this, mine have been going for over three hours.

You can also dress it up. I added some fragrant oil from the kids' soapmaking days and for good measure, cut the orange into petal shapes. I think a few of these would make a pretty centerpiece, or could even line up as a kind of menorah.

Here's to finding some brightness in your dark nights. Happy Solstice.

how to make a sun jar

The original Sun Jar was designed by Tobias Wong, but diy versions have been all around the web for years. I'd had a vague interest in making them, so when solar garden lights started becoming smaller and cheaper last fall, I got some and experimented.

Yesterday I saw an ad insert featuring solar lights at The Dollar Tree. You can't get much cheaper than that, so it seems a good time to share this version with you. It's the fastest, easiest and now, cheapest way I know to make a sun jar.

For each jar, you need:

• a solar garden light (the kind that sits on a stake)
• a small canning mason jar with a clear lid (Ikea SLOM jars work great)
• glass frosting spray
• clear silicone adhesive

The most critical part to keeping this project easy is finding the right solar garden light. Look for those in which the solar unit is a single, compact piece on the top of the fixture. I used these, by Westinghouse:

You can use other types, but it may involve deconstructing the solar unit a bit. This type of light, besides being small and inexpensive, makes it all very easy.

Make a mask with newspaper and painters tape, and spray the inside of the jar with frosting spray. A few tips: spray outdoors, away from wind, and in a well-ventilated area; shake the can thoroughly before spraying; and keep the can moving slowly and continuously. Finally, use a light touch—the paint doesn't show up well until it dries, so have faith and add a second coat later if you need to.

Unscrew the solar light unit from the bulb and stake. If you're lucky, it may fit right into the jar lid. If not, use a few blobs of the adhesive to attach it to the top of your jar.

Run a bead of silicone around the edge of the light unit to secure it—

—and that's it! You have a solar jar. You may have to remove a protective tab (orange with an arrow in the photo above) to let the battery connect. Close your lid, and place your jar in full sun to charge.

I made a lot of jars last year, thinking they'd be good Christmas/Solstice gifts, but the winter sun is really too weak to give good charge to the solar cell. They're much better from this point on: the longer, brighter days translate to more glow time in the evening.

This year I thought I'd add simple hangers. 12 gauge aluminum jewelry wire, wrapped and twisted around the top of the jar, worked perfectly. Each light needed about 30-36" of wire.

The nice thing about aluminum wire is that it bends and twists easily. The problem with aluminum wires is that it bends and twists easily. In other words, it's easy to work with but also easy to mangle. I prefer to think of it as a deliberately rustic style.

loop the wire around the jar 

aluminum wire is soft enough to twist with your fingers

it can be finished off with pliers

the finished twist

pull a loop out from the opposite side...

...and twist the loop with pliers 

thread the end of the handle through the loop you've made

charging

With the little handle, you can hang it from a tree—

—or hang several in a row under your eaves.

Pretty, aren't they? Like little glass moons suspended in the night. Maybe they should be called Moon Jars instead.