Spice up any room with a stylish (and homemade) hanging pendant lamp. This project takes less than an hour and requires only a ball of yarn, spray paint, fabric glue and a balloon.
Directions
Materials
18 inch Round latex balloon
Large ball of yarn (any color)
Large bottle clear-drying adhesive sealer (e.g. White glue)
Semi gloss spray paint in color of your choice
Pendent light kit
Scissors
Rubber gloves
Medium size bowl
Painters tape
LED Light bulb
Glue gun with glue sticks
Instructions
1. Inflate the balloon to the desired size of the lamp fixture. For this project the balloon was inflated to 18 inches. Tie the end of the ball of yarn around the neck of the balloon and secure in place with a small piece of painters tape.
2. Put on the rubber gloves. Pour the adhesive sealer into the bowl and submerge the ball of yarn into it. Squeeze the yarn and re-dip it to make sure it’s fully saturated.
3. Start wrapping the yarn around the balloon making sure it’s kept taut as you go. Continue wrapping the balloon with yarn until it is well covered. Cut yarn and tie the loose end to the neck of the balloon to secure it. Apply a layer of adhesive sealer over the balloon with a painter’s brush to ensure the yarn is fully covered.
4. Hang the balloon up to dry overnight before moving on to the next steps.
5. Once the yarn is dry, take a sharp pair of scissors and pop the balloon. The yarn will hold its shape. Pull the deflated balloon out through a gap in the yarn.
6. In a well ventilated area, spray paint the yarn the color of your choice and allow to dry for about an hour before moving on to the next step.
7. Carefully spread a small section of yarn apart and slide the LED light bulb into the light fixture. Attach the light fixture socket to the bulb.
8. Feed the light cord into the fixture so the bulb is hanging in the middle of the ball. Close up the string around the cord where it meets the string and apply a small amount of hot glue around the cord and string to keep the cord in place.
9. Now the light is assembled, it can be hung from a hook in the ceiling. Consult an electrician if you decide to hard wire the light to the ceiling.
Tip: Use this same technique to make smaller, cute decorations.
Published 11/04/2016
