AS I have mentioned in previous columns, I truly believe that there is something very satisfying about creating home-made, DIY projects with your own two hands, especially if it is made from recycled materials.
DIY home improvement projects that also use recycled materials are becoming more and more popular world-wide because they give us a tangible, real way to make a small difference in our waste imprint as a species.
However, not all of these ideas featured are truly recycling-oriented, but they can still save you a lot of money! If you’re good with your hands in any way, there’s probably a project or two here that you could try out at home.
This week I decided to focus on a DIY home Décor project – Contemporary home-made Chandeliers. Chandeliers are a great way to get started with a DIY project because they are absolutely beautiful and make a very noticeable impact in your home.
They highly visible and very striking. Once you make a beautiful chandelier out of leftover plastic bottles or spoons, using potential waste and recycled materials in other creative ways won’t seem so difficult!
So, if helping the environment and making crafty and creative items for you home appeals to you, here are some fun DIY ideas for chandeliers that will literally
brighten your day!
The Spoondelier
What you need:
Some plastic spoons, a large, clear water bottle, a light fixture and globe, some plastic adhesive glue, a Stanley knife and a little patience,!
How to create:
1. Buy a large packet of white plastic, catering spoons, and using a Stanley knife, carefully remove the handles from each spoon.
(Cut them off where they join the head of the spoon. )
2. Take your water bottle, and using the same Stanley knife, carefully and neatly remove the bottom-end of the bottle.
3. Place a medium-sized drop of clear plastic adhesive glue on the plastic spoon, where the handle was removed, and paste it, facedown, around the water bottle.
Start at the bottom of the water bottle – paste a row of spoons around the circumference of the bottle, ensuring that at least half the spoons form an overhang.
Paste the next row so that half the spoon overlaps with the row beneath it.
Continue this process until the entire bottle is covered with spoons in a fish scale-like pattern.
4. Cover the neck of the bottle with a ring of spoons by simply gluing one spoon into another, (I found using a glue gun was easiest for this project), leaving a slight overhang.
Continue this process until the ring is large enough to comfortably fit over the neck of the water bottle.
Glue the completed ring securely into place.
5. To make the light fixture, puncture a hole into the lid of the water bottle. It must be big enough to slide some electrical wire through it.
Thread the wire through the lid, insert it into the bottle and fasten the lid.
6. From underneath, work out where you would like the globe to hang, and then tie a knot in the wire accordingly, to ensure it holds the globe in the correct place.
7. Fit the light fixture to the electric wire inside the water bottle, and lastly, install the bulb.
Choose a bulb that does not get too hot when it is switched on – a CFL or an LED globe will work best.
8. Now you can hang your beautiful home-made Spoondelier anywhere you like in your home for an amazing aesthetic effect.
Hoola Hoop It
This is such an easy and effective project. Simply wrap lace or another decorative ribbon around a hula hoop, then wrap in your left over Christmas fairy lights and you have a truly unique set of hanging lights. I think several of these would look amazing at a wedding reception or for an outdoor event!
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