Saturday, June 07, 2008

Lighted Jar Lamp


Lighted Jar Lamp

By Denise Bailey

Supplies Needed

cracker jar or similar sized jar

1 set of 35 clear mini-lights

bag of potpourri

rosehips

crocheted or lace doily approx. 15 inches round

large rubber band

1/2 inch wide strip of homespun, 36 inches long

power drill

diamond drill bit

spray bottle of water



To make this lighted jar lamp, I had my husband drill a hole through a large cracker jar that I picked up at a fleamarket for $2.00

To drill a hole through glass, you should always first protect your eyes by wearing some kind of eye protection, like goggles.



You will need a power drill and diamond drill bit. As you are drilling, you must keep the area damp. The reason for this is that grinding glass creates a lot of heat. You need to keep the area that you are drilling wet/lubricated. You can use a turkey baster filled with water or spray bottle of water.



Place a piece of masking tape over the area where you want your hole. Do not place it too close to the bottom of your jar. Place a heavy towel under your jar to cushion it.

When drilling, go very slow and apply light pressure. Your hole only needs to be large enough to fit the wires of your mini-lights through.



After hole is drilled, you will need to remove the plug from the wires so that the wires can be fed through the hole from the inside of the jar. My husband usually just cuts the plug off and replaces it with a new one after he's fed it through the hole.



Here are some instructions on how to replace plugs.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2104146_replace-electric-plug.html

Make sure that the mini-lights are 'loose' in the jar, don't pack it down. Place handfuls of potpourri and rosehips in the jar, shake the jar so that they fall to the bottom, in and around the lights. fill to the top of jar. Don't pack, keep it loose so that your lights will shine through when plugged in.

Cover jar with doily, secure with rubber band. Tie homespun around neck of jar to cover rubber band.



These make excellent gifts and be sure to keep one for yourself!

www.kklprimitives.com


http://theoldecarriagehouse.com/Vendors/sites/AlleghenyPrimitives/

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