DIY colorful painted bulbs
December 11, 2012Have you ever had your heart set on something and couldn’t shake it? Well, when I saw these colorful bulbs from Land of Nod, I knew I wanted them to adorn my Christmas tree. Others must have seen their adorableness as well, because they were all sold out when I went to order them. As I sat down to pout, a light bulb went off. I would paint my own! I grabbed my ipad to search for a tutorial. I found one. Just pour paint in a glass bulb? I have tons of empty glass bulbs and tons of paint. It was meant to be.
Here’s what I did:
(instructions adapted from e-how tutorial)
Supplies:
1. glass bulbs
2. acrylic paint
3. little paper cups (Dixie or styrofoam cups)
4. rubbing alcohol
Instructions:
1. Remove caps from bulbs.
2. Rinse the inside of the bulbs with water. I also poured a little rubbing alcohol to remove excess dust and particles.
2. Allow to dry. I used a blow dryer to speed this process up.
3. Pour a small amount of paint in bulb. Swirl or rotate the bulb around. Add more paint until the bulb is completely covered.
4. Poke holes in a paper cup to help with air circulation.
5. Place bulbs upside down in cup to allow excess paint to drip out.
6. Allow paint to dry overnight or until dry. I gave the bulbs a couple of days to completely dry.
7. Place caps back on bulbs and hang on tree.
A couple of notes:
– You may need to add paint to some bulbs the next day, as some may have patches or streaks.
– The following day I also removed excess paint that had collected at the opening on the bulb, blocking some of the paint to drip out.
– Make sure you allow the bulbs to completely dry. I hung one too early and found the bulb had streaks in it the next day.
– Make sure the cups aren’t too big. Otherwise, the bulbs will get stuck and difficult to take out.
(photos by Kelle)
So colorful and fun! Love them, Kelle!
love the bright colors