by Amy Shannon Woodford

Created on: February 16, 2009

You can turn dead light bulbs into beautiful Christmas ornaments with a few common materials. Not only can you customize your ornaments for any decor, these make inexpensive presents for teachers and co-workers. Plus it's a great way to recycle burned out bulbs. Globe bulbs made for vanity mirrors make especially attractive ornaments.

Materials:

light-gauge wire (20 to 26 gauge)

jewelry pliers or wire cutters
dead light bulbs
white glue
disposable plastic container
flat paint brush
small jar
water
patterned tissue paper
decorative ribbon
spray polyurethane

Cut a length of wire to about arm's length. Double the wire, leaving one side an inch or two longer than the other. Wrap the wire around the screw end of the light bulb and thread the longer end of the wire through the loop.

Bend this strand back around the neck of the bulb in the opposite direction of the other strand until they meet on the side opposite the loop. Twist the two strands together with jewelry pliers until you have a twisted length about two or three inches long.

Bend the twisted length into a loop over the top of the bulb, forming a hanger for your ornament. Thread each end of the loose wire back through the two loops that are now formed on the neck of the bulb and twist the loose wire ends together two or three times tightly. Leave the loose lengths of wire for attaching ribbon.

Tear the tissue paper into irregularly shaped pieces roughly one to two inches square. Smaller patterns are the easiest to work with. If you want to use tissue paper with space between larger images (like polka dots), start with a layer of tissue paper the same color as the background. Then you can place the images any way you wish without needing to cover the bulb fully. Add a small amount of water to white glue in a flat plastic container or on a paint palette. Keep a small jar of water nearby to control the dilution of glue and rinse your brush between coats. Use a paint brush that you don't mind dedicating to projects with glue unless you plan to wash it very thoroughly between layers.

Brush a little glue onto a portion of the bulb about the size of the tissue paper you want to glue and place the tissue paper onto it. Paint the tissue paper lightly with a coat of diluted glue to secure all the edges and eliminate air bubbles. Don't worry if the tissue paper folds in places.

Cover the bulb completely, allowing the tissue paper to dry between applications. You can choose to cover the screw end of the bulb with paper or leave it bare.

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