How to Make Lamps Made of Recyclable Items From Home

Recycling old, unused materials is a great way to protect the environment, but going “green” also affords the opportunity to be creative and use those recyclables to fashion all kinds of useful, novel items. A great example of this is the assembly of household lamps from salvaged parts and found objects. It is a relatively simple process that will give new life to old junk and even save you money. Here are some ideas on how to make lamps from recyclable items found at home.

Lamp base object
Old lamp shade or lamp shade object
Lamp electrical cord
Lamp harp and harp base
Drill
Scissors (optional)
Utility knife (optional)
Needle and thread (optional)
Upholstery or thumb tacks (optional)
Fabric (optional)
Fabric glue (optional)
Paint or decorations (optional)

Instructions

Instructions
- 1
  Locate a lamp you can cannibalize for its bulb socket, plug, cord, harp, shade and any other useful components. You may have an old lamp lying around the house or you can purchase a cheap one from a thrift store or a garage sale.
- 2
  Pick an object to use as the lamp's base. Glass bottles, tin cans, cookie jars, or old toys are just a few of an almost limitless number of possibilities.
- 3
  
  Colorful shells or pebbles will both enhance the look of a transparent base and weight it for stability.
  
  Weight the base down for stability. If the base is opaque, fill it with sand, stones or other heavy material. If it is transparent, fill it with decorative objects, like marbles or multicolored aquarium pebbles.
- 4
  Drill a hole near the bottom of the lamp base large enough for the electrical cord to pull through. Fit the lamp with a cord long enough to safely stretch from the bulb socket, through the length of the lamp, to the wall outlet.
- 5
  Attach the harp and bulb socket to the top of the lamp base. If the lamp base is a bottle, a rubber stopper with a hole drilled through it can accommodate the harp and bulb socket.
- 6
  
  An old wicker basket serves well as a lampshade.
  
  Choose a lampshade that will match the size, shape and color of the lamp base. Recycle an old shade by recovering it with fabric. Or make a new shade from a plastic flower pot or an old bowl. Again, the options are nearly endless. Create shades with anything from film slides to bottle caps.

Turning a Vintage Bird Cage Into a Chandelier

DIY Drum Lampshades

Lighting