Remember my last post about the solar fairy lights? I told you I ordered more because I love them so much. Well, they arrived in a perfectly packaged little box right to my front door. (Thanks, Amazon!) Today we will be making a bamboo light up snowman! With just a few things you’re going to have the easiest and most unique bamboo light up Snowman.
~Disclaimer: I received these lights at a discount in exchange for my honest review. With that said, all opinions are my own. Also, there are affiliate links within the body of this post. That means that if you purchase something on my recommendation, I might get a small commission at no extra charge to you. To learn more please see Disclosures and Such! Thank you~
Gather Your Items:
For this light up snowman you will need:
Several branches of bamboo. We have this growing in our yard, so I just took my cutters and went to town.
White Paint
Scotch Tape
Hot Glue
1 Red Solo Cup
1 lid from a small tub of butter or sour cream
Gold Ric Rac
A strand of LED solar lights, 72 feet long, with 200 LED. Get them here!
This project took place after looking for a light up snowman that didn’t break the bank. I had planned to join 3 grapevine wreaths together, but I needed them in 3 different sizes. You see the dilemma? So I just needed to get creative.
Use What You Already Have
I am a big fan of “Let’s improvise” when I do not have an item for a project. Enter bamboo. Since I am impatient, I just gathered my bamboo and removed all the shoots and leaves, leaving only a cane. Now its time to make the circle.
Step 1 Build It
Starting from the bottom, I took 2 of the larger of the canes and just made a circle, meeting at the ends. See image above. After they are where you want them, wrap them a few times with some scotch tape. (just trust me) Now take your remaining canes and simply wrap them around the circle. Use tape on the parts of the bamboo that want to move or budge.
Repeat for all three forms
PRO TIP:
Place the sturdy ends equally spaced for more support. The tips bend well.
Step 2 Secure It
Now that you have all three of your light up snowman body circles, its time to plug in your hot glue. I am in love with the Gorilla Glue brand of hot glue sticks. They hold better. Holding your form in one hand, take the tip of your glue gun and fill the ends of the tape gently. Don’t get all crazy, you want the tape to hold. Next, fill in some of the cracks with hot glue and let dry.
Repeat for all three forms.
PRO TIP:
Fill both ends of as much of the tape as you can get. Use a little extra on the main canes of each form.
Step 3 Paint It
Yes, I craft in my kitchen. And yes, that is an old pub table I do most of my work on. Don’t judge! Do, however, get out your paint and paintbrush. Lay each light up snowman form flat and take your brush. I don’t need to tell you to let it dry before you flip it, or that you may need to touch up after drying. By now your a pro.
Repeat for all three forms
PRO TIP:
If this light up snowman is going to be used outdoors, please use appropriate paint. I would hate for you to put in all this work for a rain/snow storm to ruin your good work. Spray paint will get that job done or just plain white acrylic paint for indoor use.
Step 4 Attach Them
Using wire (I like the white wrapped copper, but any will do. In the center of the bottom and middle of your light up snowman tightly wrap the wire around both. Make sure that the wire is secure and will not budge.
Repeat for the top form
PRO TIP
Fill under the wire with glue for more stability.
Step 5 Make A Top Hat For Your Light Up Snowman
For the top hat of your light up snowman, you need to paint the solo cup black. as well as the butter lid. After the paint is dry, glue the golden ric rack to the middle of the cup. After everything is dry you are going to first glue the lid to the bottom part of the head. (See pic above) When the glue is dry, glue the cup portion upside down OVER the lid and head branches. You will have to hold it there for a bit so it doesn’t spring back.
PRO TIP
I like the light up snowman top hat off to the side a bit. Make sure the lid and cup are on both the top of the head form and under.
Step 6 Arms For Frosty
I almost left out the arms. For them, you need to paint 2 smaller portions of the bamboo canes and attach them when dry to the middle form of the light up snowman. Use the same wire and glue method to attach and secure the arms in place.
Step 7 Light Up My Life
These fancy lights are 72 feet long. They come bundled in two tight bundles per light set. And the end where the solar batteries are has 6 feet of wire with no lights to put in a sunny location. There is no special trick to keeping the wire from snapping, as it is delicate. Start at the top and wrap.
PRO TIP
My best advice is to not try for perfect with these lights. Get crazy with them. As long as the lights are on your light up snowman there is no wrong way to string up lights!
Show Off Your Skills!
Find a magical spot for your light up snowman and the solar receiver. I have mine on the wall in the house, but these lights are ok for outdoor use.
PRO TIP
Make sure that the solar receiver for the lights on your light up snowman are in a very sunny location. For best results, 8 hours of daylight for an all night long glow.
Final thoughts
I do hope you enjoyed this light up snowman tutorial. Am I the only one with a big addiction when it comes to fairy lights? Do you plan to make one? Don’t forget to check out http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074SKMDX8 to find a great deal on these lights!
Until Next Time,
Marlene
If you liked this tutorial, you will love these:
DIY Unicorn Costume
A Unicorn Crown Fit For A Princess
Does Your Baby Need A Dream Catcher?
The post Making Your Own Light Up Snowman is BETTER Than Buying One appeared first on She's A Hot Mess.
Making Your Own Light Up Snowman is BETTER Than Buying One was first posted on November 17, 2017 at 9:42 am.
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