Follow these easy instructions to make and decorate a beautiful lamp using a bottle. Also included are simple directions for decorating a lampshade.
Light up your life with a beautiful handcrafted lamp. This lamp is easy to make, and you’ll be surprised at how much fun you’ll have in the process.
To make this unique craft project you will need acrylic paint, enamel paint, turpentine or paint thinner, paintbrushes, a cork lamp fixture, a funnel, a cloth or paper lampshade with a light bulb clip, and a large glass bottle. Large wine or apple cider bottles make great lamp bases.
Begin by thoroughly washing a bottle of your choice. Remove any labels and adhesive. Soak the bottle in hot water if they don’t peel off easily. Dry the bottle thoroughly, inside and out. It’s important that no moisture remains inside the bottle.
Use enamel paint to decorate the outside of the bottle. Paint on geometric shapes, flowers, or any other designs you want. Enamel paint is very durable and looks nice on glass objects.
If you want to make a lamp base swirled with color, add a few drops of enamel paint to the inside of a clean, dry bottle. Turn and twist the bottle to distribute the paint around the sides. Add additional colors one at a time until you are satisfied with the look you’ve achieved. Allow the paint to dry completely before capping the bottle with the cork light fixture.
Another option is to fill the bottle with decorative items such as sand, small shells, fancy marbles, colored aquarium gravel, or anything else you want.
You can make an ocean theme lamp by adding a one or two inch layer of sand to the bottom of the jar. Use either natural sand or colored sand from a craft store. Drop small shells on top of the sand. Handle the lamp base with care so the shells remain on the surface of the sand.
Marbles make a beautiful lamp base. Either use a combination of plain colored marbles along with swirled ones, or use flat decorative craft marbles. They come in many colors including iridescent hues. You can mix various colors of marbles or layer individual colors for a unique effect.
Colored aquarium gravel can also be used to fill the lamp base. Next, layer the aquarium gravel using either coordinating or contrasting colors. Use colors to match the décor of the room in which you intend on using the lamp.
After decorating the base, trim the cork fixture to fit the mouth of the jar you have chosen. Attach the light fixture to the jar.
Decorate a color-coordinated lampshade for your decorative bottle lamp. Paint designs on the lampshade using acrylic craft paint. You can also decorate the lampshade by gluing on faux gemstones or pretty glass beads.
An ocean theme lamp base would look beautiful topped by a lampshade painted with clouds and seagulls. Start with a sky-blue cloth or paper lampshade. Use a damp craft sponge to paint clouds around the lampshade. Next, using a small paintbrush, paint the outline of seagulls gliding across the cloud-covered sky. This shade will look stunning when the light is turned on. It will appear as if the sun is shinning through the clouds.
After the lampshade has dried, screw in a light bulb with no greater wattage than recommended for the fixture. Use a low-wattage light bulb for a nightlight, and a higher wattage bulb for a reading lamp. Keep in mind that the graphics on the shade will show up better with a lower wattage light bulb. Clip the shade to the bulb. Plug in your beautiful new lamp, and turn it on.
You will be proud of the fact that you made this attractive lamp yourself. With creativity and a little imagination, you can make a lamp for any subject or occasion.
