We've seen these workhorses everywhere, from fancy restaurants to outdoor homes. We've bought many ourselves and include them in our Top 10: Party Lighting Ideas.
Rotera metal and glass lanterns are a simple, classic design that keep your tea lights bright, even in a high wind and/or a little rain. Set them on the ground or hang them on a fence or from a wire.
Only $5 each, they now come in 7 colors, but we still favor the galvanized finish.
I had these as part of my wedding centerpieces. My folks took small galvanized pails (about 6" diameter) and painted them, filled them with cement and inserted 1/2" copper tubing about 12" high and a little copper tubing bend at the top. The lanterns would then hang from this. Polished stones lined the cement base of the pail and a colored ribbon was tied around the pail as well to match the color of the wedding.
I kept these and use them for outdoor parties (minus the ribbon) to light walkways and outdoor tables. In fact I just used one last night on my balcony table. I plan on getting the rest out of storage to put on my balcony.
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Here's a couple pictures of the lanterns:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/631223461/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/632090620/
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