The crescendo of the country's festive season, Deepavali, is almost here. While most of you have already shopped for your outfits, gotten your homes cleaned and distempered, and perhaps sent out party invites, if you are still looking to give your home a personalised makeover for the Festival of Lights, here's what you can do to light up your abode this Diwali.
1. Wicker/yarn ball lights for the patio/balcony
There’s something so delightful about the soft glow of fairy light garlands on a cold winter’s nights and one of the best things about these lights is that they are not just reserved for the Christmas tree or to frame a window/dresser. This Diwali, you ought to give wicker ball string lights a try. They look great on the patio/balcony and add just the right amount of warmth and brightness to the place. While you could buy rattan balls at a local craft store and loop your yellow string lights into them, if you’re looking to cut down cost, you could make these yourself. First, get a packet of balloons and blow each up (but not to their full capacity). Once the balloon is inflated, using a permanent marker, draw a small circle (just large enough to accommodate your method of lighting, i.e. string lights in this case) around the knot. Make a smooth mixture of half cup corn starch, 4 oz. of regular glue, and a quarter cup of warm water in a large bowl. Smear Vaseline all over your balloon till it is coated completely. Feed the yarn/twine through the glue mix and take one of the coated ends and start draping the twine around the balloon. Make sure you tuck the start and end pieces of yarn beneath the other bits of yarn to ensure it is secure. Start with wrapping the yarn vertically and not too tight, then you could wrap it horizontally around the balloon. Repeat the same process for the other inflated balloons. Leave them to dry for 24 hours, after which you can pop the balloons and what you’re left with is beautiful yarn balls through which you can string your Christmas lights. To bring in some colour, spray paint these balls before you fix the lights into them.
2. Firefly lanterns for the living room
Got an empty wine bottle lying around? Soak it for 15 minutes in warm water or until you are able to peel of the label easily. Dry the bottle out completely and stuff a set of battery operated fairy lights into it and allow it to light up the reading corner in your home or if you’d rather use it to bring warmth to your balcony, install a set of 3 to 4 iron hooks on the wall, make jute wrapped holders for the bottles, and suspend them from the hooks.
3. Mason jar lamps for the dining space
If you’ve got old jam bottles lying around, wash, dry, and repurpose them into beautiful lamps for your dining table. You could fill half the jar with Epsom salt and place a tea light candle in the jar, atop the salt base. To give it a vintage feel, wrap some jute twine around the mouth of the jar. You could also add some bling to your dining table by simply coating these mason jars with store-bought mod podge (alternatively, a mixture of school glue and water). Don’t forget to place ample amount of newspaper on your work space. Coat your jar now completely with glitter dust in the colour of your choice. After it dries, seal it again with mod podge. When it is fully dried, place a LED t-light inside it and allow it to add beauty to your dining table.
4. Utensil lighting fixtures for the kitchen
Have a spare colander on the kitchen counter? Why not use it as a lampshade for your kitchen counter or breakfast table? Want to repurpose the graters in your kitchen? Have them work as lampshades for bulbs suspended from the ceiling. If you’ve got a set of ladles that you hardly use, you could hang them in a row and place LED t-light candles in them. Whisks also make for super cute wax t-light candle holders.
5. Repurposed fairy lights for the bedroom
Since it is Diwali, bring some shades of gold/silver into your bedroom for that festive getup. Unscrew the bulbs of your Christmas lights, spray paint only the cord and the holders in a metallic gold/rose gold shade. Allow it to dry. Screw the bulbs back on and use these lights to adorn the headboard of your cot.
