String Light DIY

So here's my newest DIY project. The reason this came about was because I had ordered an outstanding light fixture for over my dining room table. However, when it finally came in stock the shipping cost on it was astronomical! So I cancelled it. I had been looking at these string lights for sometime, ever since (my fav!) Janette Ewen showed one on City Line. Check her out at http://www.janetteewen.com/
Her step-by-step didn't seem to hard. And ever since Pinterest took over my life, I have seen numerous string lights pinned and countless blogs giving the instructions. So I thought, why not give it a try. Worst thing could be that it doesn't work, and I have to cave and by the first light fixture. 

The blog that I thought gave the instructions the best was http://desertdomicile.blogspot.ca

There are a few ways to do it. Some blogs said to use a balloon, some said an exercise ball because the balloon will deflate while the glue dries over a couple days. 

Some blogs said to use fabric stiffener, elmers glue or modpodge for the glue. And the string can be wool, twine or crochet wool.

So after reading all the blogs I've combined a few things to come up with mine. 

List of items:

2 Balls of thin crochet wool about 300yrds

2 bottles of Stiffy Fabric Stiffener 

24" exercise ball (sorry mom, i'll replace it!) 

2 small buckets or containers

Vaseline

Pendant light fixture kit

This is the most messy DIY I have ever done! All the blogs warn you of it, and it is so true. You'll need to wear old clothes and line the table or floors with newsprint.

Step 1:  Wash your ball to remove any items that may not allow the glue to stick

Step 2: Skim a light layer of Vaseline on the ball. I've done paper mache and molds before and I know if you don't have layer of it on your object will be stuck to the mold you are trying to make. This was in one other blog I read and I thought it made sense

Step 3: Use a small ice cream bucket to rest the ball on. This will prevent it from rolling around the floor. Also you need to leave a circle on top to put your pendant fixture in, about the diameter of the ice cream bucket. Also to have it elevated a little off the floor really helps for winding the string from top to bottom

Step 4: The blog says to put the roll of crochet string into a bucket and dump in the entire bottle of stiffener 

Fix: This turned out to be a complete mess. The string kept getting knotted up and it became unusable. Round two turned into using another roll of string and dipping it in the glue as it unwind off the roll. 

Step 5: Start winding the sting around the ball, top to bottom, all the way around and back again. This is the most time consuming part. It took me about 3 hours, dipping the string as you go. The important thing is to have your string really saturated. 

Trick: You may need a friend (again, thanks Candace!) As I was winding the string around, the very first string was slipping down. It wasn't until I have enough on the ball to "tighten" that I was able to do it on my own.

Trick: Once you go around the ball a few times, pull ever so slightly so that the string tightens a little. Also, a good way to cover the entire ball is to keep turning the ice cream bucket around as you wind the string around, avoid turning the ball its self.

Step 6: Once I thought the ball was covered enough (remember the more string the more substantial the structure will be) I patted some extra glue with my hands on parts that I wasn't confident would stick. So I just gave it a light coating in places. 

Trick: The more glue you pat around it the more glue spots you will see in the openings of the string in the final product. It will be however easy to fix at the end.

Step 7: Now the tricky part, removing the ball. Just in case it decided to explode we decided to prick it multiple times with a safety pin. As the ball was deflating we gently helped the string detach in spots where it was glued directly to the ball by pulling the pieces away with our fingers.

Step 8: If I had followed the desert domicile blog to the letter, I would have had a nice opening at the top where no string had been wound. However, where I had trouble getting starting in the beginning the ball was being twisted around etc etc so I had an evenly strung ball all the way around. So I had to cut a hole in order to take the ball out. I used a small bowl the size I wanted the opening, traced it out lightly and cut it away using scissors. The structure is much hardier that I would have thought, so be gentle but no need to be paranoid that it will cave in. 

Step 9: Now reach in with your scissors and gently cut the ball into workable pieces. I found it hard to take the ball out in 1 piece so Brad thought it would have been  better to cut it up and it worked like a charm

Step 10: Now connecting your pendant light kit to the ball! We were worried over time that the ball wouldn't with stand handing from hooks so we threaded white florist wire around the opening of the ball to reinforce it. From there we dropped down the pendant fixture and attached the ball with florist wire to the pendant wire on 3 sides (extra weight distribution) 

Trick: Florist wire seemed to be the best thing to use because it's got some give. I can still put my hand in and change the bulb when I want.

Step 11: Install the pendant to the ceiling as specified in the directions of your light kit (make sure your breaker box is turned off first) or have an electrician install it for you to be extra safe

Ta da! And all for less then $50!!!