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Custom Modern Concrete Lamps

How to Use Plastic Bottles to Make Concrete Pendant Lamps

Materials:
– Quikrete 5000 Concrete Mix
– electrical socket, switch and cord
– 2 plastic bottles (one larger and one smaller)
– threaded tube and nuts (3/8th inch diameter tube)
– 3 1/2 inch deck screw
– 120 grit sandpaper
– metal can

Tools:
– box cutter or knife
– RYOBI 18 Volt Cordless drill with a 3/8th diameter standard bit for drilling holes in the caps
– wire cutters to cut the cord and strip the wires for reconnecting the socket to the cord after putting the socket inside the lamp

Let’s face it, designer lighting can cost a pretty penny. Instead of spending your tax refund on a brand new ceiling lamp, make yourself an entire set of stylish concrete pendant lights with a single bag of concrete mix and some old plastic bottles. Concrete is affordable, modern, and you can make more than 15 lamps from a single $6 bag!

First, a little more about the materials you’ll be using. QUIKRETE® 5000 Concrete Mix is a commercial-grade blend of stone or gravel, sand and cement that’s specially designed for strength. It is available at Home Depot and typically comes in 80lb. bags. The electrical socket, switch, and cord, and the threaded tube and nuts are all available at Grandbrass.com, along with other common lamp parts.

Poke a hole in the soda bottle with a box cutter and use scissors to cut the bottom of the bottle. Then, drill a hole in the caps of the soda bottle. It’s easier to drill a hole in the bottle caps when they are attached to the bottle. The hole should be just big enough to screw the metal tube through.

Now it’s time to connect the bottle caps. Screw the tube through both caps and use nuts on either side of each cap to hold them in place.

Screw the bottles into the caps.

Next, use deck screws to stabilize the bottles.

Now, mix the concrete and fill the mold. We recommend using a large spoon to fill the mold. Shake and tap the mold after each spoonful to make sure the concrete settles. Place in a metal can to stabilize.

We’re almost done! It’s time to remove the bottles from the mold. We used a box cutter and scissors to remove the plastic bottle. A hair dryer can be used to heat the plastic, making it softer and easier to pull out with pliers.

Sand your lamps to smooth down any rough edges. Then it’s time to wire.
Cut the socket end of the wire and thread the cut end though the bolt hole. Strip the wires and twist them together. Cover the exposed metal with electrical tape or wire nuts and make sure the pendant is securely fastened.

To hang, we used a $4 bracket from IKEA. You can also try blending different colors of concrete for a 2-tone effect. We love it!

Cool String Art !

Quick Tutorial on How to Make String Art & What you will need

Create Your Own Nebula In A Bottle Fun Project

1.       A transparent jar or bottle with a lid that seals well. (Make sure it is clean and empty of dust)
2.       Cotton balls
3.       Glitter (silver tends to look best)
4.       Water
5.       Food Coloring or fabric dye. You can use whatever colors you like, but hues of purple, blue and pink are easiest to work with the first time since they blend together well.
6.       A pencil or narrow stick that you don’t mind getting dye on
7.       Additional jars/ bowls for mixing colors
8.       A funnel (Optional)
9. Glue and clear nail polish (Optional)

Pour some water into one of your mixing cups and mix up your first color. Stir it with the pencil and tweak it until you get a hue that you like.

Using the funnel to make sure you don’t spill, pour the color mixture about a quarter or a third of the way up in the jar. It is okay if you have extra – you can use it later for another layer or another jar.

Now, add some of your cotton balls to the water mixture. The amount you will need depends on the size of your jar, but you want to make sure that the cotton balls are completely soaked in water. Press them down with your pencil if needed. Then sprinkle some glitter into the mix and shake or stir with the pencil slightly. It should look something like this.

http://p3.adhitzads.com/58c7b65f2d32f541946009ddiyprojectsnetwork.weebly.com164544

Now, place more cotton balls on top of the first layer. Mix up another color of dye in a separate bowl. Pick one that is different than the first color because they will mix. (Example: if the first was blue, use pink instead of a lighter shade of blue.) Once mixed, slowly pour it over the second layer of cotton balls and add more glitter and mix with the pencil.

Keep repeating this step until you have filled your bottle. Leave about half an inch from the top edge of the jar, more if you have a cork stopper. If you are using a cork stopper, seal the bottom of the cork with clear nail polish to prevent it from soaking up the dye.

You can make a variety of colors of nebulae in different shaped jars for different effects. Check the next page for more ideas!

You can make mini nebulas to wear as a necklace – just make sure that you glue the tops securely in place for these!