Cut 3" or 4" (or even 2") PVC to desired length. Mine are 30" long. I use a Sawzall to cut PVC. You can make your life difficult and use something else should you so choose.
Tape off the stripes using masking tape and spray paint them with plastic enamel paint. I use Fire Engine red since that appears to be what everyone else uses.
The blue stripes are actually the tape.
Cut some 1/2" or 3/8" rebar into 12" sections and pound them into the ground leaving 4-5 inches above ground. It's best to try to keep them as vertical as possible.
Place one pole over each rod, trying to keep the rod more or less centered. Now pour concrete into each pole so that it just covers the rebar. (About 2-lbs per pole.)
Jiggle each pole after pouring the cement to remove any air bubbles but then DON'T SCREW AROUND WITH THEM UNTIL THE CEMENT DRIES COMPLETELY.
After removing your poles from the ground, inspect each one to be sure the rods are secure. If any are loose, just pull them all the way out and squirt a butt-load of Gorilla Glue on the end and shove it back into the hole. That rod won't be moving anymore!
Speaking of Gorilla Glue, what makes it good for this purpose is that it expands as it dries (as seen in this picture) and really grips the inside of the hole.
Cut some 16 or 18 gauge lamp cord into lengths about a foot longer than your poles. Also, cut some rope light to use to wrap around your poles.
Note: The Rope Light is optional. You could make your pole with just the single light on top. If you do go for the rope light, be aware that rope light can't be cut just anywhere. Usually, there's a mark every 18" or 36" to indicate where it can be cut. Be careful.
Drill a 5/16" hole near the bottom of the pole (ABOVE THE CONCRETE INSIDE!) and run a piece of the lamp cord into it and out the open end of the pole.
You'll notice I'm working on a towel. That's to keep the poles from getting scratched any more than they're going to.
Cut a small piece of hard wood (1/8" X 3/8" is good) to a length that will just cover the end of the pole without extending past the outer circumference of it. Now, screw a light socket to it in the center.
Note: If you're using 2" PVC you might not need the wood at all. The sockets I found were a perfect fit for 2" PVC.
Strip the end of the lamp cord and attach the socket. Pull the wire back into the pole so that the socket-screwed-to-wood is sitting on the top of the pole.
Take a 3" coupling (or one of the appropriate size for your PVC) that you previously painted red (I think I missed a step somewhere) and push it onto the end of the pole. Inside is a flange that will secure the top of the piece of wood with the socket. You don't need to glue the coupling on - in fact, it's conceivable you'll want to be able to remove it, so DON'T GLUE IT!
We're not done yet! Check back soon...
Screw some rope light mounts around the top.
Add some more to the bottom.
Add the rope light. I'll leave it to you to wire it all up.
