If you’ve been spending a crazy amount of time shopping on the internet this quarantine, know that you definitely aren’t alone. Even though I've never shopped online before, in the past few months I’ve often caught myself idly surfing websites for “pretty things”. It was on one of these fateful online crusades, that I came upon *cue heavenly music* the moon lamp!
It suddenly seemed like I just HAD to have it illuminating my room. The only problem! The moon lamps online, even the cheapest ones, were definitely not priced for the stringent budget set aside for such “luxuries”. However, as a DIY craftsperson and enthusiast myself, I decided to take up the challenge wholeheartedly! In the video below, you’ll find not one, not two, but three exciting ways to light up your nights that are almost free! Made with easily sourced materials, these beginner-friendly lamps are sure to not only give you a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day but also make you gasp with delight as your very own moon lamp brings the night sky right into your bedroom. An additional stunning, yarn lampshade wouldn’t be hard on the eyes or the house either! ;)
Click here to see how to make a DIY paper moon lamp using materials I had at home, and a gorgeous yarn lampshade, for those disinclined to celestial beauties. Be prepared to get your hands and space quite messy! You’re not going to make a clean escape from this one!
If you’ve read this far, you get a bonus of some tips from my experience of making the paper moon lamp and the yarn lampshade!
First off, definitely wear clothes that you don't mind getting a little glue on and be sure to cover the space you’re working on in some kind of plastic. This makes clean-up (let’s admit, the most boring part of DIYs that no one talks about) so much easier!
Although the moon lamp looks pretty cool even if you add dark and light shades on random areas, it’s better to try and follow the hollows of the craters you’ve created, keeping the crater areas dark and the rest lighter. This way, even in broad daylight your moon lamp will look just as pretty (or even more, dare I say), as it does at night.
The yarn lampshade can be made in many ways. However, the method I’ve used in the video is tried and tested to be the easiest and most efficient! If you want to include multiple colors in the same string ball chandelier (read: super hippie and bright!), there are two ways. For the more meticulous types, measure a length of string you like for each color you want to include in the lamp. Dye each of these separately in a glue and paint/natural dye solution and proceed as shown. Otherwise, if you don't mind it looking a bit messy and layered, you can wrap one layer at a time, painting right after the layer is added. This process, although a little tedious, will provide a very interesting, bright, and colourful result!
The bonus lamp in the video (yes, go check it out!) is a little temporary because of the materials I’ve used. However, if you do have the luxury of having a strong light source, the same lamp I’ve shown can be used to project onto the ceiling! If you want it to last longer, try the same method, only replacing the newspaper and foil with a metal container instead. Obviously a metal container will be much harder to manipulate than foil, therefore your best option is to find as strong a light source as possible for ceiling projections. :)
PS- Watch till the end for the bonus lampshade.
PPS- Both lamps pose absolutely NO fire-hazard if you use the alternative LED lights we’ve suggested in the description of the video or simply click here to buy it online. (Although I've been using a normal bulb and its worked fine for me since I use it only for short periods of time)
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