Upcycling Christmas Light Bulbs

You might remember a while back I got hold of this box of old Christmas tree bulbs.  I was drawn to the pretty colours in my usual magpie fashion, and had crafty plans for them...

Things have been pretty busy since them, but I've finally squeezed in half an hour to give these my attention. Today is of course Christmas Jumper Day with Save the Children.  You can read about it here  and please join in with a festive top and donate £1 to an amazing cause.  You can do it simply by texting TEAMTHINLYS to 70050.

Here's my fuzzy selfie just to prove I'm on-board with the shenanigans.  And to go with my happy chappy penguin, I'm going the whole hog by wearing these that I made last night.

They are super-simple to make. You'll need some fine jewellery wire, a pair of pliers and some earring findings.  Wrap the wire tightly around the bulb fitting and bend at a 90 degree angle.  Use your pliers to make a loop and attach to the earring.  Use a small dot of glue or solder to make sure the looped wire is firmly fixed to the bulb - you don't want it dropping out and smashing on the floor while you're boogieing to Slade's finest Christmas hits now do you?

I love the colours of the glass, and it seems a shame to lose them just because the bulbs are dead.  I've glue-gunned some onto an empty glass votive and under the flicker of the tealight they still give a lovely festive glow.  A nice addition to my kitsch Christmas corner I think!

To make, use a hot glue gun to affix the bulbs around the outside of the glass candle holder.  Stand the holder on a flat surface to make it easier to line up the bulbs level.  If you don't have enough to cover the whole candle holder, a few dotted on look just as effective.  Use a black Sharpie marker and join them up by drawing a 'cable' between each bulb.

This is my entry to the Lightbulbs Direct Christmas crafting competition.