Don’t throw away those old light bulbs just yet! I have a fun, easy DIY for you that will brighten up your home decor or workspace :) A little while back I found this image on tumblr and immediately saved it to my inspiration folder:
I gathered a couple of light bulbs and got to work! I found this DIY to be very simple, but it requires working with glass so you definitely need to be careful.
What you need: A light bulb (any shape or size will work!), pliers and gardening wire.
Step One: First you need to remove the little silver layer on the bottom of the light bulb. Work the pliers under the layer to create a little lip, and then you should be able to peel it right off with the pliers.
Step Two: Now you have to remove the black cap from the bottom of the light bulb. This was the most difficult part for me – you DEFINITELY want to wear safety goggles and be extremely careful, as it is glass. Some sites suggest using a hammer to crack the black glass but this didn’t work for me – with some time, I was able to work the pliers into the hole left after you remove the silver cap, and snap the glass. I used the pliers to tap the rest of the black glass off the bulb. Do this outdoors or over a hard surface so you can sweep up the bits of glass.
Step Three: Once the black glass was removed it was really easy to get the little glass tube and wiring on the inside of the bulb out – I simply tapped it with the pliers and it broke right off.
And now you have your empty lightbulb! I didn’t like how the metal part looked so I covered it with a little piece of fabric:
Step Four: Add flowers and water, and hang with the gardening wire!
Now I want to make more! In addition to brightening up my desk space at work, these would be adorable for a summer party or, as Jemma just suggested as I was making it, as bathroom decor!
Comments
Obsessed!!
I also saw that image on Pinterest and I can’t wait to try it. Just a few notes, I’ve read that you should never use florescent bulbs because the stuff inside is toxic. Also, some bulbs have a white coating on the inside which I believe is just kaolin, which is safe to remove, simply use tissue to white it out. Anyways, thanks for the DIY, can’t wait to try it.
I’m getting married soon and this would be a great idea for down the isle hanging off the chairs and off the trees!
so nice!!!!! looooove it!!!
I’m making these for my new house whether my boy friend likes them or not. So simple yet adorable.
http://dailydoseofsunlight.blogspot.com/
I love that! they’d be so cute to have lined up across a window
ahh sooo cuuute!!
love love love
Such a creative, easy sounding, eco-looking, adorable project! These would look great at an outdoor dinner party during the summer! I think I’m going to have to try them, and hang it on my bulletin board with a thumb tack like shown. Can’t wait! xoxo
That is beautiful…
I am so going to be makign these tomorrow.
My friend is visiting from Korea and she will love it!
THANKS<3
I saw this on a blog the other day and I am really excited to try it! I think they would look really cool hung at different lengths from tree branches or around a big patio umbrella! :D A good recycling project also!
http://www.forsurejadore.blogspot.com
you women,and men, are wonderful
I love this so much!! so very cool
the best DIY I have seen in a while!!! now I cant wait for a light-bulb to go out! :P
these are so wonderful! muy creative !
that is so pretty and creative.
I love this. Totally linking to it later today! Gotta hurry before those summertime blossoms all but disappear!
I saw this on pinterest. I had some of these that I made many years ago while living in Mexico. I put a piece of ivy in each one and watch them grow like crazy. It was awesome! I just had to keep refilling the water and they took off filling the bottom of the bulb with roots. Thanks for sharing the how-to. That’s how I did it too! :)
Great idea. So chic and creative.
this is such a great idea! Light bulbs are so hard to recycle–this is a great solution
I love it and reblogged at http://1129designorecchinigioielli.blogspot.com/2011/08/un-vaso-da-fiori-illuminante-tutorial.html
hope you don’t mind :)
nicoletta
Berty: Just because you take it apart, doesn’t mean you can throw away the pieces. I’m sure non-broken light bulb disposal policies still apply.
WOW! A great idea!
I wish I could figure out stuff like this but reading your blog is the next best thing! Those light bulb vases look so clean and beautiful. A great way to recycle broken ones :)
Well, aren’t these just the cutest? So lovely, thanks for posting!
so creative! I’m totally doing this.
Wow, this is simply so creative, turning a bulb into a vase. You’ve just sparked a few ideas in me too! :)
How clever! I would never have thought it possible to reuse a light bulb. Unfortunately Canada is phasing out incandescent bulbs in favour of compact fluorescent bulbs. Reusing them will prove more difficult. They contain hazardous material and would have to be used intact. They do have a cute shape, though.
These vases could also be used to root cuttings.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Totally love these!!!
maybe someone’s mentioned this already…. but I think it’d be really nice if you credited that first image. just saying you saw it on tumblr doesn’t give us much to go on, and I’d love to know more about where it came from originally. do you have any idea?
I agree with Amelia!!! You guys are getting all the credit for the first image on pinterest and that’s just not right!
hey guys – the image links through to where i found it, unfortunately i have not been able to locate the original source as tumblr sites don’t always credit it. i have tried searching for it, but if anyone knows i would be happy to add the credit. thanks!
I love this. I have a window sill and Oh My Lord.. completes my room. Another DIY project love <3 xoxo
You may want to make a comment about safe disposal of the tungsten filament in the light bulb. While it is not believed to be toxic, its effects in groundwater and the environment are not fully known, and proper caution should be taken. The fluorescent (newer) light bulbs contain mercury, which *is* poisonous.
i really would love to try this .
So cute and delicate
i had a bright idea,,use tiny battery operated lights in the bigger bulbs
You might try using a tube cutter / pipe cutter as an easy and fast way to take off the end. They use a hardened steel wheel to let you cut around a metal pipe in a circle. It is probably safer and more reliable too.
example
http://www.harborfreight.com/tubing-cutter-40913.html
also, use safety glasses and other protection. light bulbs have a vacuum inside, which means they will shatter and explode like a grenade if you break the seal quickly.
It’s very nice idea. I’ll use in my practice it.
I am SO going to try this. I think I’m going to try plant starters in it.
I use a small saw to cut into the metal screw-in part, then just peel it off using pliers–this usually takes care of all the removing in just one step. Bend the metal rim as much as possible to smooth the sharp edges, then use colored Duck Tape to hold your hanging wire and to soften the cut edges.
I love it and tried it and found it much easier than the directions. Only took a few minutes. Thanks!!
I love this! Perfect gift for hard to buy fors. Really easy (easier than the directions. Ammonia takes the frost off frosted bulbs. Only took me 20 min. from start to finish. Thanks
inspire me a lot…
Can you use lightbulbs that aren’t burnt out? i need to do this for a college art project
прикольнинькоо)))))
The white powder washes away with just water so you can use any kind.
just made a bunch myself after seeing this they look great and so simple to do!
I love this idea. When I was a kids, cousins and I used the same process to make test tubes fur science projects.
I hung one on my kitchen window with a suction cup hook…Love it!!!
nice 9952332054
Awesome grat idea
Nice Decor…
è un’idea spettacolare!!!!!!!lfarò senz’altro!!!!complimenti al suo ideatore!!!!!spero che mia madre non si spaventi a vedere la mia camera invasa dalle lampadine-vaso!!! xD xD xD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love the concept…Simple and elegant but is the bulb sturdy enough to use as a vase?? has anyone had issues with broken vases?? Or does anyone have any tips on handling to prevent breaking the bulbs??
Cute idea…love it…I personally think it’s awesome you made it then blogged it…I googled it..and there are tons all over the Internet….where did it originally come from…people should do the research themselves if they want to know that information …:) just saying…….xo