Water Bomb String Light

Evenings are getting darker now and I was longing for a string light in the living room. I keep one up always except for the summer months. The one I had up last was broken and I tried to find a nice new one to buy but stores don’t stock them yet. All I had at home was this snowflake one. Aside from feeling out of season it was also not very pretty with some yellowing around the bulbs. 

That’s when I remembered the instructions for the butterfly mobile. It also came with instructions for water bombs.

So I made a bunch. Well, like twenty to be more exact. I made them out of tracing paper which turned out to be a bit more difficult to fold than regular or origami paper.

 
But it was worth it because once done they looked pretty neat. Possibly a bit too big but they will do nicely until later in fall when stores will start selling string lights again.

Comments

[norma]

that's great!!!

[jaana]

Wow, amazed how cool they look in white! I've used red and yellow paper for water bombs and smaller versions of these origami lanterns http://www.marthastewart.com/article/origami-lanterns?backto=true for our outdoor parties. I just use ordinary Christmas tree lights, strings with those tiny lights as well as candles. No need for separate colored lights though I'd like some :)

[Lotten]

Åhh vad fina dom blev!

[Catherine]

These look great! Love seeing the apple on the mantle there too.

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

You know, that apple has become one of my absolute favorite things :)

[Jdumoulin.blogspot.com]

They look great.. I really love the softness of the glow they give off. I'd love to see a photo taken at dusk to see how they light up the room.
Oh and I love that New York print over your fireplace.. its just such a lovely complex blue. Oh and the apple green throw too... see there's me with the blue and green again.!
Jo xx

[Anna-Malin]

aaa så fint det blev!
jag har en ljusslinga som jag inte riktigt gillar.
det var en superbra idé, verkligen.

[Siri]

Oh I agree! I envy you that apple! That was a great find! - And the water bomb lightning look great too! But isn’t it a fire hazard? I would love to make one myself, but I`ve got this weird thing about fire hazards! I don’t ever leave the apartment without checking everything twice!! IKEA have cheap string lights around Christmas – so maybe I should buy some then? And like Jo I would also love to see a picture taken at dusk!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

I figured since these bulbs are encapsled in rubber and the water bombs are very loose around the rubber snowflake it's ok. Also the bulbs don't get warm (they're LED). If you do have reservations I think you shouldn't do it. We have a timer on that lights them between 5 am and 8 am and again 7 pm and 12 pm which is when we're home and up.

[claudiaribau]

I LOVE the water bomb lightning:) :)
cláudia

[Mia]

Very, very pretty, and just what we (well we're practically neighbors - hi! from Finland) need when the days get shorter. You're so very talented, origami and all - and I agree that snowflakes would have been somewhat too much for the season :)

Happy Wednesday!

Yours,
Mia

[Monica B]

Belysningsexperterna har verkligen rätt. Ljussättning är A och O i ett hem! Vi har definitivt inte lyckats, men är på väg. Den här idén var jättebra! Yngsta dottern har vikt sig igenom säkert tusen papper den här sommaren och blivit riktigt duktig på origami. Den här vattenbomben ingår i hennes "sortiment", så vi får kanske anlita henne... :-) Grattis till en fin och vacker snilleblixt!

[Judith]

As we say in Texas - purty! I love how the light's so muted. And the famous apple! So glad you decided not to paint it white :)

[Lizzy]

I love the water bomb string lights! And the print of the Big Apple above the fireplace with a big apple on the fireplace is so cute.

[Eleni]

Great idea! Think I might try it for myself! Thanks!

[Siri]

Smart to use a timer! I think I`ll try to make one like yours. But I figured that it`s best to use a string light like yours - the snowflakes - since the snowflake provide some distance to the lightning bulb itself. Thanks for the tip!

[Kate]

Wow, this turned out so beautiful! I love string lights, too. Always been a dream of mine to have a nice fenced-in outdoor space someday where I can string those big globe lights back and forth overhead. =) Nice job!

[sunny]

such pretty lights! I need to put up some string lights...love the glow at night.

Your fireplace is beautiful!!

[Jacilyn]

The lights are beautiful. And I don't think they look too big at all. I love everything thing about that photo, makes me want to rethink my mantle.

[down comforter]

Those are really pretty, and doesn't cost much to make (Except for the time and the talent, which i am not sure if I have either of them)..It looks like something that would add a little coziness to my apartment. I am definitely adding this to my to-do list, :-I Hopefully I get to tackle that list soon..

[Elisabeth - anyhow.se]

Nu känner jag att jag fick ett jättebehov av att göra samma, så ikväll ska jag prova! :)

[Vicki K]

The soft glow is beautiful! Smart, smart, smart. Again.

[katie]

CUTE! i too have TOO DARK IN THE HOUSE issues! can you show pics on how you attach to the wall and hide the cords, etc? or since you're ALL WHITE and use white cords (i'm guessing) do they just blend in? you have the cutest ideas!

benita, is it ALREADY getting dark over there? love ya!

[Benita ~ Chez Larsson]

There's a nail at the top and the string light just hangs over it so it's doubled. There are a couple of cable clips at the bottom to hold the cable aginst the baseboard and then it runs up along the side of the fire place and in under the mantle which you can remove. The socket is behind the fire.

Yup, days are getting shorter and it's getting darker and darker :)

[Rose]

That looks great. I had an idea a few years ago to cut ping pong balls in half and put a hole in each half, then put the "saucer" around each bulb of a strand light. I think I might like this idea better!

[Misa]

This is great! I've always thought that string lights were really tacky, especially when my friends just hang them up like it's Christmas all the time. But, this is actually very attractive!

[chelsea]

Wow - this really does add so much to the space...and its reminding me of some pretty flower lights I have that I keep meaning to do something with!

Thanks for the inspiration!

http://spicklebee.blogspot.com

[Sara]

miracle. girl.

[Nat]

i absolutely love these, might do this at home to keep it this way.

[Holyoke Home]

I love how you chose to hang them!

[Mumin Mamma]

Hej Benita!
Vilka fina de är! Jag tycker om ORIGAMI, nu vill min son göra djur och bilar med papper. Jag tittar på den här sidan!

http://www.origami-club.com/
Det är på japanska, men det är inte svårt att hitta vad man vill.