DIY: Valentine Light Bulb

Monday, January 30, 2012
Lucky for those of you who have procrastinated  yet to find a gift for your valentine, my husband and I celebrated V Day early this year, so I can show you a couple homemade gifts that are sure to be a hit and won't hurt your wallet.  :]  The first gift I made is featured in this post.  I was inspired, of course, but something similar I saw on pinterest!


Materials:

Red thin gauge wire (available at craft stores)
Light bulb (any standard incandescent bulb with a regular size base will do..no fluorescent or halogen bulbs)
Pliers
Screwdriver
Safety goggles/gloves
Scrap piece of wood or wood cube (craft stores usually sell wood for crafts and would have a small square or chunky piece that would work)
2 pins
Paper and pen (or type written message)
Wire cutters
Hammer and nail (optional- if you are using soft wood these are not necessary)
Hot glue gun

Directions:

 Prepare a surface on a work table for hollowing out the bulb. I watched this video as a tutorial if you would like another demonstration than the one I put here. 

First, grip the  point and give it a good twist. You will free the brass contact break one of the wires leading to the filament.



Once the contact has been pulled out, carefully crack the glass insulator. The chips from this are quite pervasive, they get into just about anything in the area and they are razor sharp. Use caution.




Use the screwdriver to break the fill tube. 
You can now shake the filament assembly out of the tube.

Now the bulb needs a good cleaning!  I just used a paper towel and wire hanger.



And now you have a clear, cleaned out bulb!



 Now, cut a ten inch piece of wire to make a heart “filament”. Fold the wire in half to create a sharp crease, then unfold.


 About an inch from the crease, take both loose wire ends and loop both wires around to create the heart halves. Then pull both wires back down, overlapping the center of the crease and extending beyond the heart shape. You may want to tweak the heart halves a little to get heart shape that you like. Your heart should be about 1/2″ wide so it will fit through the base of the bulb pretty easily.


Take your filaments to your bulb and hold them up to see how long the stems need to be to have the heart filaments positioned in roughly the center of the bulb.  If your wood is soft enough, you should be able to poke the wire filaments down into the top of the wood and they will stay in position. If you are using a firmer wood, use a hammer and nail to create a small guide hole, then remove the nail and push the wire down into the hole. you may want to secure these with glue as well.

Fit your glass bulb over the filaments and glue the bulb down to the wood at the base with hot glue.  Use the pins to attach your love note or message to the front of the piece of wood.


And that's it!  Not only will your valentine love this homemade gift, but you can be proud of making it!  I know I was. :]  And don't let the disassembling of the bulb intimidate you...if was pretty simple. 




53 comments:

  1. And I'm your newest follower :) Blog & Twitter ;)

  1. How cute is this?! Love it!
    Thanks so much for sharing and linking up to this week's Catch a Glimpse party! I'll be featuring this tomorrow!

  1. Create With Me said...:

    Never thought this could be possible. Awesome project! Visiting from the Crafty Nest linky party. With love, My

  1. Saleena said...:

    @Christina: Yay! I'm in need of more of those ;]

    @Allison: Thank you sooo much!!! :D

    @My: Not only is it possible, but its way easier than it looks. You could totally do it! :]

  1. Cassidy said...:

    Very creative! LOVE it!

    http://fitcraftystylishandhappy.blogspot.com/

  1. createdbyjess said...:

    I love this! I remember seeing it awhile ago but your tutorial makes me think I can make one too! Thank you for the great photos :)

  1. Katie said...:

    Very cute!! I love the idea!
    You should join me for Handmade 52! http://raisingoranges.blogspot.com/ -Katie

  1. Saleena said...:

    @Jess: Yes you can! Don't be intimidated. As long as you have the right tools, you'll be fine.

    @Katie: I will! Thanks so much for the invite!

  1. Jenna said...:

    What an adorable idea! For my light lovin' hubby, this would be a hit!

  1. this is really creative! I've pinned it so I can try it sometime. love!

  1. AmieAnn said...:

    This is sooo clever! Love it! I would love love love it if you would share with my pink hippo party @ http://pinkapotamus.blogspot.com/2012/02/pink-hippo-party-66.html
    I am your newest follower~

  1. Karla said...:

    OH that is ADORABLE. I love it. such a cute idea. :)

  1. Cassie Box said...:

    Oh My Heck! I love this!!! LOVE!!!

  1. Gen said...:

    That is so cute and original!! You did a great job.

  1. Amber said...:

    Just like everyone else, LOVE IT!

  1. Ginger said...:

    Adorable! Featuring you today in my Valentine round up! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Ginger @ gingersnapcrafts.com

    http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2012/02/take-look-at-you-be-mine-valentine.html

  1. Saleena said...:

    @Ginger: Whoohoo! Thanks Ginger <3

  1. Anonymous said...:

    I love this! I just made it, but had one problem. I need your help! When I used the hot glue gun to glue down the bulb, it created heat inside the bulb and therefore, created a fog or steam look on the glass of the bulb. Did you have this problem??

  1. Saleena said...:

    Oh no! Fortunately I didn't have that problem. Did it go away over time?

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