diy project: valentine lightbulb
i know a lot of people find valentine’s day to be a commercialized, over-hyped, pressure-cooker of a holiday (um, take it easy with the chocolate aisles, drug stores). in my mind though, valentine’s day is great because such little things can make huge statements on this romantic day. pretty much any act of kindness carries with it a bigger message of love: a note on the counter, an extra long hug, a favorite food in the fridge, etc. so with the “little gifts” concept in mind, i bring you this valentine’s day light bulb. a subtle love note tucked inside a pretty glass bulb, this can hopefully be displayed year round, and have longer lasting power than a dozen roses (not that i’m knocking roses). the other awesome part of this project is that once you’ve hollowed out a light bulb, the possibilities are endless for future projects: mini terrarium? check. handmade snow globe? check.. go crazy!
also, if the wire sculpture is a bit intimidating to you, put a small message or little drawing on a tiny scrap of paper and attach it to are strand of wire, then suspend that in the bulb…instant success! remember, cute is king on st. valentine’s day… have fun! –kate
CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
materials:
1. red thin gauge wire (available at craft stores)
2. light bulb (any standard incandescent bulb with a regular size base will do..no fluorescent or halogen bulbs)
3. pliers
4. screwdriver
5. safety goggles
6. scrap piece of wood or wood cube (craft stores usually sell wood for crafts and would have a small square or chunky piece that would work)
7. 2 pins
8. paper and pen (or type written message)
9. wire cutters
10. hammer and nail (optional- if you are using soft balsa or craft wood these are not necessary)
11. hot glue gun
cost:
wire: $2
wood scrap or cube: $2
tools, paper: on hand
time:
1 hour
instructions:
1. prepare a surface on a work table for hollowing out the bulb. make sure the area is large because little chunks might jump off the base when you crack the glass.
2. follow these instructions on how to hollow out the light bulb from teamdroid.com. these are easy to follow instructions that also give good tips on safety and procedure.
3. when you have your bulb ready, clean the outside carefully and put it to the side somewhere where it is protected from breaking.
4. cut a ten inch piece of wire to make a heart “filament”. fold the wire in half to create a sharp crease, then unfold. about an inch from the crease, take both loose wire ends and loop both wires around to create the heart halves. then pull both wires back down, overlapping the center of the crease and extending beyond the heart shape. you may want to tweak the heart halves a little to get heart shape that you like. your heart should be about 1/2″ wide so it will fit through the base of the bulb pretty easily.
5. if you want two or more heart filaments in your bulb, repeat step 5 one or more times.
6. take your filaments to your bulb and hold them up to see how long the stems need to be to have the heart filaments positioned in roughly the center of the bulb. use your pliers to cut the extra wire off the ends. also test that they fit int o your bulb without having to smush them or distort the shapes. if that is the case, make them smaller.
7. if your wood is soft, you should be able to poke the wire filaments down into the top of the wood and they will stay in position. if you are using a firmer wood, use a hammer and nail to create a small guide hole. then remove the nail and push the wire down into the hole. you may want to secure these with glue as well.
8. now fit your glass bulb over the filaments and glue the bulb down to the wood at the base.
9. use the pins to attach your love note or message to the front of the piece of wood.
YOU’RE DONE!!
this is such a great idea! i love it.
i love this. so neat!
Super Cute! Great Tutorial!
I love this!
I’ve been collecting old bulbs to turn into mini vases but I think I like this idea even better!
A handy trick I learned: dry salt works like magic for cleaning out light bulbs. Swishing around a couple of tablespoons of salt will take care of the white coating inside so many bulbs. A little nail polish remover will also clean any printed lables off the glass.
Oh I love this! It’s perfect! Now I need to find the time to create it:)
This is great!! I love it!! xo
what a unique project. great idea!
Adore this. Valentine’s Day is what you make of it, in my opinion. If you rush out to buy something just for the sake of buying, then it’s a commerical holiday. But if you take the time, and create a wonderful moment, gift or even a thoughful gesture, then it’s a nice holiday. This year I’m giving my girlfriend’s valentines to show them how much I care for them too. Spreading the love.
This is soooo cute. I wished I weren’t snowed then I could run out to get the supplies. Great idea!
aww, those are sweet
my guy would love this! I’m definitely doing this project. Thanks!
so adorable!! gonna try this, and the homemade snowglobe idea too (thinking ahead to Xmas 2010)!!
Sweet and simple and homemade–my kind of valentine.
Sweet, simple and homemade–my kind of valentine.
pretty much EPIC
awwww so cute!!
I am so going to make one (or a hundred!) of these.
ingenious!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39810093
so stinking cute! i love love love this project! thanks for the DIY!
This is an amazing idea. I keep my old light bulbs and now I know why!!! Sooo repurposing….my favorite thing to do. Thank you!!!
this is really cute, I’m so doing this,
I’m so going to do this
Do you have these projects in a printer-friendly version?
Do you have these projects available in a printer-friendly version?
What kind of light bulb was used in the pictures?
Such a cute idea!
This is the cutest Valentine’s DIY I’ve seen! I’m going to the hardware store today to start creating!
that’s so incrediblyy cuteee!
:S the only thing is though – wondering if there’s any way to do this with a lightbulb that would still work, after you put the red wires in.
..prob not, because you’re taking out the filaments? too bad :(
oh well – it’s still really cute & a great reminder to your somebody that you love them.
omnomnom- i know, wouldn’t it be great if we could design our own filaments? as far as i know that is only for the pros..but it’s worth a little online research!
also, cheesier/sassier text:
“you turn me on.”
this is genius. i don’t usually do valentines day but this year, i think i just might
This is genius, I am so doing this for my boy person ♥
this is so cute!
great idea! I’ll have to do this tomorrow <3
Nice! I think I am doing one :D
A side note on what you wrote: “no fluorescent or halogen bulbs” , BECAUSE they are toxic when broken! If you accidentally brake one, open the window and exit the room!
how about the slogan: “you make me lightheaded” :P
very very cute….when I first saw the picture, I thought “where did they find that giant light bulb to do this project”…i guess its just the pictures……very cute and semi simple, great
I’m doing this tonight
Completely awesome – I love it!
Oh…so sweet…:)
Great Idea!
I love this!!!
I love it! This is just the sweetest thing!
Oh my, I LOVE this! And happen to have a burnt out lightbulb that needs replacing… Love the “re-use” aspect. I’m seeing all kinds of cute possibilities… Thanks!
Sooo cute! What a great idea.. I was thinking of making an animation for my bf but now I think I have changed my mind:)
Genius idea– i love this!
Emma – cute idea for a slogan!
I made one for my favourite guy:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Light-of-My-Life-Valentine/
Love this idea..not cheesy at all!
This takes the cake! Best Valentine I’ve seen this year.
Great idea and thanks for the instructions! Will have to try this out one weekend!
You could always put a little LED light or something in the base if you drill down into the block more and have a cord kit with it to click it on and off… ? Just a thought.
Oh, I absolutely and utterly adore this idea! It is just so cute! :-)
And I agree – Valentine’s Day is so commercialised. It’s the simple and thoughtful gifts and ideas that matter!
This is so cute!! I can totally imagine a guy actually liking this, rather than the cheesy stuff that’s sold in the shops. Ooo, is it me or would the same project work well in a test tube with a cork stopper?? But hey, I’m a chemist so I’m always looking for ways to make chemistry cool…
I’ve cleaned out the lightglobe — it was even more fiddly than I’d imagined, and tomorrow I’m making a wire suspension stand for it and hunting for mini plants to make a light-globe terrarium — my boyfriend will love it!
Thanks for the brilliant idea!
What a wonderful and cute idea! I am off to the store this afternoon to get a couple bits to make one for my bf. Happy Valentine’s!
– omnomnom: if you want the lightbulb to work you can use LEDs. Here is how… http://www.instructables.com/id/LED_Lightbulb/
I love this! Absolutely adorable and you’re right, the possibilities are endless with the light bulb! :)
love this…
simple and just darling…
I just made this for my husband and I can’t wait to give it to him! Super easy to do, thanks for the DIY!
Sooo cute! What a great idea.. Thank you!!!!!!
Can I link this tut on my blog? :)
Eleonora
This is so awesome… and simple… I just finished mine for my husband… I found a round wooden box at the craft store so I used that instead of a block…. so it has a function too :)
Totally did this! My boyfriend loooved it!
Thanks for the perfect idea for that quirkey valentine gift that will certainly stand out much better than an old box of chocolates!
I just gave this to my husband for Valentine’s Day. Thanks for the great idea!
Here is the one my daughter and I made for my wife.
http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/5231/2010021495085709u.jpg
This is FABULOUS!! Took only about 5 minutes and was SO fun. Made one with little photos inside too. Very clever. Thank you. :)
una idea bellissima…. complimenti
Sweet!
How about: “Burned out long ago. Time to change the bulb.”
Another one I have to share with our MOPS groups. SOOOO adorable!
I’m making it for my BF, valentines day in Brazil is on July 12th! :) I think he is going to love itt !! Thanks
Love this! I have never seen a bulb like that before. Great gift idea for peopl. Thanks!
Oh wow, this is SO cute!
We would love to feature this tutorial on our website! If you are interested please let us know by mail.
Again: this is such an awesome idea.
BTW, a great idea since its christmas time, is to go to any craft store like jo anns fabrics or whateva, and buy ornament bulbs. they come in packs and are relatively cheap, this way you bypass the breaking of a lightbulb and its dangers. :) all you have to do is take the little tin hook thingy off, which is supposed to be able to come off. so its super simple :)
Stinkin’ ADORABLE!!! How clever you are!
That’s such a cute idea. I’ve included it with several others for a Valentine’s Day Crafting Ideas roundup on my blog:
http://anzouyaspool.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-day-crafting-ideas.html
Thanks for sharing!
I love, love, love, LOVE this!
I love it so much I made one for my husband’s Valentine’s Day gift.
http://lovelylittlelist.blogspot.com/2011/02/crafty-valentines-gift.html
Thank you for this beautiful project! I made one for my electrician husband and added a picture of us. You can see it here:
http://awednesdayafternoon.blogspot.com/2011/02/gift-for-my-favorite-valentine.html
Thanks again for this tutorial!
I made this for our anniversary :)
Thanks for the idea!
http://twitpic.com/42yifu
Love this! Great gift for the guys too!
Omnomnom: That was my first thought too…
All a light bulb is, is electricity flowing through tungsten in a vacuum. To make it work you’d first have to make the heart part out of tungsten (not too hard), re-run your wires (again, not too hard) and then find some way to evacuate the air from the bulb (quite hard).
I’m thinking maybe you could rig up something with some epoxy and a bike pump, but I can’t find any DIY’ers on the internet Scotch enough to resurrect incandescent bulbs… :)
i just searching idea for a gift for my girlfriend for her birthday.I think this is a very-very 5 star idea for me.Thanks a lot…
Where to find this wooden cube ?
Hi Ludo,
The cube is just a piece of balsa craft wood that I cut into a block shape. Most craft and/or art supply stores will sell wood like this, and some might even have precut wood cubes that you could use. Good luck! —Kate
Don’t know where to find some story like that in my town. But thanks I’ll find it somewhere. :)
i just want if i can find that in my city TOO! im from.. QUITO-ECUADOR! please! i like it a lot! (: i just want give it to my boyfriend.
This was SO awesome, I HAD to make my own version.
http://lemoni-fresh.blogspot.com/2011/02/crafty-valentines-gift.html
I’m not seeing a link for how to hollow out the light bulb. I only saw the one that takes you to the main TeamDroid website, but I couldn’t find that specific post. Help, please? I’d love to make this for my sweetie!
Hi Ali, thanks for brining that to my attention! I updated the link so it should head directly to the lightbulb tutorial now. Let me know if you have any problems. Good luck with the project!
That is so dern cute!! I love it
This is fantastic! I was at a complete loss for what to do for my geeky guy. I think that re-purposing a lightbulb will appeal to his electrical geek! So adorable!
I can’t wait to make this for my boyfriend. he is a lighting designer for concerts & i think this is so cute and it will mean so much to him! awesome tutorial!
Just a tip for everyone that I discovered while making my own: What the teamdroid tutorial didn’t mention is that the glass insulator is really had to get out. I smashed one bulb while trying to get that piece out and nearly broke a second (I have a small crack on the bulb that I ended up using because of this.) Go slowly and have lots of patience during this step, because it’s a lot more challenging than it seems.
I am so happy with my bulb! I used scrap metal from the hearts inside and spelled out “you light up my world, love” on the wood around the bulb. I am so absolutely happy with this!
I really love this idea and I really want to make this, but I couldn’t find any wood blocks at Joanne’s and Michael’s craft stores. Please help?
I was only able to find blocks at AC Moore. This is such a cute project but its not as easy as it looks, at least it wasn’t for me but I still accomplished it
I made one of these for my fiance for Valentine’s Day this year! It was such a fantastic gift!
einfach klasse!!!!
ich habe es ebenfalls versucht/ meine version:
http://teativitaet.blogspot.de/2012/04/gebogen-2.html
Eu adorei essa ideia! Vou fazer concerteza!
This might be a really stupid question but will this really light up? :)
In connection to my first comment, if it doesn’t actually light up, is there any way to make it light up? :)
I made it light up ;) i’ll post it later!
So thoughtful my husband is an electrician so giving this to him he will love it
I am featuring this today on my site and will be using your idea in a sassy way. Love this and I love that it inspired a romantic idea! Just an FYI for you..I found this on Pinterest. When clicking the picture it got an ooops warning, saying that this might be going to inappropriate content. It then gives you an option to return to pinterest or stop search, or continue to unknown source. (It’s the warning you usually get when the site ends up being porn.) That might be deterring people from continuing onto the site. Just thought you would like to know!!! xox
Sweet idea & more interesting than than the standard card/box of chocolates (not that there’s anything wrong with chocolates :-)
I would really love an easy guide on how to make this light bulb light up. I’m not used to working with wires. Can anyone assist?
I really loved this idea! But please, tell me, how did you attach the message to the front of the piece of wood? the pins poke the wood? I really need some help! Thank you :)
hi mariana
that’s step 9 in the post, use pins to attach the message to the front :)
grace
You could always use glue.
Help how do i get the black bulb size off of the top of the bulb?
I did it! I also put a real light inside the bulb! I like it so much!! Thank you!!!
Could you please help me as to how you put a light inside??
Why cant you use halogen bulbs? The TeamDroid website directions on hollowing it out says do not use fluorescent bulbs but your directions say don’t use either..
My wife and I were both inspired by this project to create our own versions this year for each other: http://goo.gl/P1Mcv and http://goo.gl/2BfIv Really great idea!
Hey I’m just curious how you made the light with the switch attached to the box? It all looks extremely cool. Could you email me some quick instructions by chance?
Ever get a answer?
Would love to do the whole light up part!
How did you guys make the heart light up in the second image?
How many inches was the wood block you used?
I love this idea, and I made it and it came out awesome…but I ran into a problem…the light bulb started getting condensation in it…how do I get rid of it?!? :(
to the condensation problem, you need air flow, so if you can, take the bulb off the wood and put some wooden spacers in between the bulb and the block so that you have a couple of small gaps so that air can get into the bulb.
or drill/nail a couple of holes through the whole block of wood going into the bottom of the bulb. im only guessing as i have not got one of these creations.
really!!! how can you put the wire inside that bulb?
I love this!!!! Just wondering if anyone knows how to make this actually work?
Thanks for your prety DIY. Good idea: I love it !!! I share it in my web site today.
Did anyone get instructions for how to make it light up? Would love to do this! Thanks!
I’m pretty sure if you drill a hole through the bottom and insert a small light like a Christmas light that plugs into the wall it then gives the affect of it being lit up
What type of wood did you use?
What gauge of wire thickness did you use?
How big was the wood piece the only size I could find was 2×2