The festival of lights is almost upon us. Of course, this means decorating our homes with lights in creative ways. Repeating the same old candles and diyas is passé – we can use lights in so many more exciting ways. Here are our top five DIY lights decorations for Diwali that will help you create a new, unique and fresh look for your home.
String Light Photo Display
Materials required: String of LEDs, Polaroids or other printed pictures, glue or decorative clothespins, wall hooks or nails.
Time Required: About an hour.
- Print your favourite pictures.
- Identify a corner or a door frame where you would like to display the pictures.
- Place four hooks- two on each side, six inches apart, vertically.
- Drape and tie the string lights on these hooks and glue pictures on the line (alternatively, you can hold them in place with decorative clothespins).
- Plugin the string lights and see your pictures in a new light.
We recommend using glue-on hooks in case you want to remove the arrangement after some weeks. This DIY light decoration for Diwali is perfect for any party and fosters the spirit of family.
Create Jar Candles
Materials required: Wax or old candle scraps, wicks, empty glass jars, essential oils (optional), clothespins, ice cream sticks.
Time Required: About an hour, plus 2 hours of cooling time.
- Grate the wax that you have.
- You can buy beeswax or soy wax bars or simply use up the ends of old candles. This will ensure that the wax melts quickly.
- Place the grated wax in a metal cup.
- Fill a large pan with 1 cm of boiling water and carefully place the wax cup in it.
- Allow the wax to melt fully. You can add a few drops of essential oils at this stage to the wax if you want a scented candle.
- Meanwhile, clean and dry any small glass jars that you want to upcycle. Place the wicks in the jar and hold them upright in the centre using clothespins as shown:
You may require more than one ice cream stick to support the wick fully.
- Now, carefully pour the wax slowly into the jar.
- Allow some space at the top and allow 2-3 hours to cool and set properly.
- Place in the fridge if you live in a warm area or want the candle to set faster.
You can also opt for earthen diyas instead of glass jars.
This DIY lights decoration for Diwali also makes for a great handmade gift for the occasion.
The Circle of Light
Materials required: old bicycle wheel rim, LED lights in a tube and superglue OR self-adhesive LED light strip, gold (or colour of choice) paint, old newspapers.
Time required: 20 minutes plus drying time.
- Cover the floor with old newspapers and place the old bicycle rim on it.
- Clean the bicycle rim and paint it gold or whichever colour you prefer. We recommend spray paint for streak-free coverage.
- Let it dry fully, flip it over and cover the underside as well.
- Once fully dry, apply superglue to the rim and carefully place the LED tube on top, ensuring that there is no slack.
- Add the battery pack or the plug at the end.
- Allow the glue to dry completely before switching it on. Alternatively, a much easier way to tackle this project is to use self-adhesive LED strips.
Painted Diyas
Materials required: Earthen Diyas (old or new), acrylic paints, set of paintbrushes, clear varnish (optional)
Time required: Will vary as per design.
- Soak the diyas overnight and dry them before attempting to paint on them.
- The simplest thing to do, of course, is to paint the entire diya in a vibrant colour (such as bright red) and add a gold-coloured border. Or choose a metallic paint and cover the entire diya in that metallic shade. You can add as many design details to your diyas.
- Varnish with a clear topcoat once the colours have dried. This will prevent the paint from chipping.
Ask your family or friends to grab a paintbrush to make this DIY lights decoration for Diwali a great bonding experience.
Lights and Flowers Toran
Materials required: String of lights, small bunches of flowers tied with string, superglue, twine OR single flowers and toothpicks.
Time Required: 30 minutes.
- Tie flowers into small bunches with string or twine.
- Use another piece of twine to secure the flowers midway between two light bulbs on the string of lights.
- Secure in place with superglue. Clampdown for a minute if required.
- Repeat for the length of the string of lights, placing a flower exactly at the midpoint between each pair of bulbs.
- If you are using a string of lights that cannot hold the weight of a bunch of flowers, use single flowers.
- Skewer a toothpick at the base of a flower (such as a marigold). You can dip the tip of the toothpick in glue if the flowers slip off. Paste the toothpick onto the string of lights and repeat for the length required.
Festivals are a time to tap into your creative side. We hope you found some ideas to decorate your home with these unique DIY lights decorations for Diwali. You can even go a step further and redesign areas of your home. If you are looking for beautiful home designs, look no further than HomeLane, the home to the best interior design solutions.
