I have a confession to make. I have a serious addiction to working with and bringing indoors parts of nature. From pinecones to plants, and just about everything in between, natures bounty has been good for both my soul and crafting needs. Remember my wooden coasters project? Or my DIY Diffusers From Nature? Ohh, you must remember my succulent planter project? The one thing all of those projects have had in common is that they were all sourced from nature. Today I have another project for you, and as you must have guessed by now, this one too brings a piece of nature right into my living room. My Log Lamp looks like something that came out of a big department store. But, it cost me nothing to make.
What? Nothing?
Yes. You read that right. I got this log about a year ago and have been waiting for the right project to come to mind. It is a perfect Birch, with just a touch of moss at the base. Turning it into a log Lamp came after so much debate, internally of course. See, I don’t have regular access to this type of tree, and because of my love of Birch, I couldn’t just waste it on anything.
Testing 1..2..3
I do have access to fir and pine, cottonwood and maybe a few poplar trees if I had a need for something, (PLEASE NOTE: TREES ARE ONLY TAKEN EITHER DEAD STANDING OR ALREADY FALLEN FOR PROJECTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. I DO NOT ADVISE REMOVING FOREST PRODUCTS WITHOUT PROPER PERMITS) so I selected a smaller log to test this project beforehand.
For this project you will need:
One log (birch looks lovely, but honestly, any dry not rotted log will work) If you don’t have one, Walnut Hollow sells them at fantastic prices and you can find them here.
Old Lamp (small candlestick lamp worked for me. You can also buy a lamp kit here at Amazon.)
Drill and drill bit long enough to reach the bottom of your log, and spade drill bits. ( We have had this Dewalt for as long as we have been together and I highly recommend the brand.)
Wire strippers if you are reusing an old lamp
Dab of hot glue to set the washer
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Begin Like This
To begin, determine top and bottom of your new log lamp. I like the wider base to give my log lamp a bit more sturdiness. Make sure your drill bit is longer than your log. If it’s not, mark center on both sides of the log.
Using your 1/2 spade, drill the top center about 1/4 inch and stop. As the pics show below, I am only the photographer in this project. Matt is doing all of the handy work.
Time to put the hole for your lamp cord into your log. This is fairly simple and a straight shot.
Determine the front and back of your log lamp. On the backside of the lamp, about an inch from the bottom, drill a connecting hole to the main hole you just drilled. Now the cord has a place to come out of your log lamp.
PRO TIP:
While one person drills the holes for the lamp cord, keep your Shark Rocket (or another wand vacuum) handy and on to catch all of the sawdust. Makes clean up a breeze!
Run the lamp cord up the log lamp from the bottom.
Attach the fittings, washer in first. Dab a bit of hot glue to help hold the washer.
Attach the lamp fitting to the log lamp.
Put your led light bulb (hint, you can get these ones that are not that ugly blue at the dollar tree! )
Attach the lampshade.
Plug her in and love love love your new log lamp.
Not A Crafty Person?
Hey, I get it. Not everyone is into making things handmade. Some of us don’t have the time or patients. Some just want the goods. I get it. And I have a few alternatives you should def check out if you are looking for a natural log lamp but not looking to forage the wilderness and find the perfect log. (and hey, if you want me to make you a log lamp, just let me know in the comments. I am sure we can work something out! )
This is a handmade item on Amazon. While it does not qualify you for Prime Shipping, it is beautiful and made from fallen logs from the Idaho forest. Stunning.
An alternative to an actual log lamp is this polyresin log lamp. I love how realistic this looks given it’s not wooden at all. Also an Amazon product.
Rusticloglamps.com
This is a screenshot of the website. They offer 100% handmade log lamps that come with stunning craftsmanship. Definitely worth a look if you want the look but not feeling crafty.
Are you going to give this log lamp a go? Are you into rustic decor? Have I just plain gone too far with nature-inspired crafts? Let me know what you think!
Before I go, I wanted to let you know about a new venture I am taking on. Given that I like to throw parties, I am now making party printables, by request and seasonally. I will typically email you a new set of printables once or twice a month, depending on the request load I get. If you would like to join the mailing list to get exclusive party printables or would like to make a request for a free design, I would love for you to sign up today!
Until next time
Marlene
If you liked this you will love these:
DIY Driftwood Succulent Planter
5 Natural Diffusers In Your Backyard
Wooden Coasters With Free Print Files
DIY Rubber Boot Door Hanger
Easter Printables You Don’t Want To Miss
Hot Glue & Tulle: A Pinterest Love Affair
The post The Easiest Log Lamp Tutorial Ever appeared first on She's A Hot Mess.
The Easiest Log Lamp Tutorial Ever was first posted on February 27, 2018 at 7:00 am.
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