How to Make a Clear Plastic Cup Ceiling Light

Plug in the soldering iron and melt a hole in the bottom of each cup big enough for two Christmas lights to poke through. About 1/2 inch is sufficient.

Place 12 cups on your work surface and use the soldering iron or glue gun to attach the cups together at the rim and the base where the next cup in line touches it. Use clothespins to clip the cups together where they were glued on the rim. The bottom of the cups will always be toward the center of the circle. This is the first row. The shape of the cups will begin to curve into a circle as you add each cup, allowing you to make a complete circle.

Count out nine more cups. Place the cups in the valley between two cups from the first row. Glue or solder the second row cup to the two first row cups it is sitting on and the next cup in the second row that it is touching. Use clothespins to clip the cups together where they were glued on the rim. This is the second row. Keep the rim of the second row even with the rim of the first row. When placing the ninth cup, there will be a 1-inch space between the ninth cup and the first cup placed. This is normal.

Count out five cups and fit them into the valleys from the second row the same way as you did with the first row. The fifth cup will go straight up into the middle of the dome. Use clothespins to clip the cups together where they were glued on the rim.

Set the dome aside to dry or cool.

Repeat the same steps to make another dome and allow it to cool or dry.

Remove the clothespins and flip one dome over so you can see the bottoms of the cups.

Place the first two Christmas lights, on the end opposite the plug, into the last cup glued into the dome. This is the very top-most cup. Continue adding two lights to each cup spiraling around to make sure you do not miss a cup.

Insert the lights into the second dome starting at the first row of cups. Insert the lights into each cup spiraling upward so you do not miss one.

Glue or solder the two halves together to make one ball and use clothespins to clip where the cups are glued at the rims.

Remove the clothespins when the ball is dry or cooled and plug in the ball.

Insert an s-hook, connected to a chain or string, into the the ball between the cups. Hook the s-hook around the cord of the Christmas lights.

Screw a threaded hook into the ceiling and hang the light. Hang the light near a plug for the Christmas lights and run an extension cord to plug in.