Reuse An Old Jug To Make The Most Decorative Cloud Lamp

Bask under a sunlit cumulus any time of year with a fluffy cloud lamp. Sure, cloud lamps are charming accessories for kids' rooms. But for all of the adults out there, this is a chance to add a trendy, whimsical accent to your home. Undertake a DIY that costs you pennies and also saves a plastic jug from an uncertain fate. A fleecy coating of polyfill glued to a jug stuffed with string lights becomes a glowing feature for any space.

Set aside an empty 1-gallon plastic jug or larger. Water, milk, or bulk vinegar jugs are great candidates as long as the material is transparent. Also grab a bag of polyester stuffing, some craft glue, and a string of battery-operated LED lights with a remote, like these BXROIU Fairy Lights. You'll also need a tool to punch two holes in the side of the jug for hanging. A thick nail held over a candle flame is a good option. Hold a nail in the flame of a candle with a pair of pliers and use the heated tip to melt the holes in the plastic. Suspended from a ceiling hook by a few strands of fishing line, your fluffy creation will float magically as it lights your room.

Remove any labels from your jug. Loosen stubborn stickers by rubbing them with a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide. Make sure to give the container a good cleaning to get rid of residue and to have a clean surface for the glue to adhere to. Let the jug dry completely before moving on. If your string of lights has a battery pack that's larger than the mouth of the jug, cut off enough of the top of the jug to fit the pack inside the container. You can hide this opening under extra stuffing.

Separate a chunk of polyester stuffing from the bag and form it into an organic-looking puff while keeping one side relatively flat. Your puff should be thick enough that the plastic container won't show through once you've lit your lamp. Cover a small section of the jug with craft glue before pressing the flattest side of your puff onto the glue. Repeat this until the entire jug is covered with stuffing.

Poke two holes in one side of the jug about 1 to 2 inches apart. Double up strands of fishing line at the length you'd like your lamp to hang. Send your string of lights and the battery pack through the mouth of the jug or the opening you created. Then you just need to find the best spot to dangle your indoor weather phenomenon!

Craft a mini cloud or a ceiling full of them by using small plastic bottles. To make this pint-sized model, follow nearly the same process to create them as you would for the larger version. One thing to keep in mind is that thicker-walled bottles will hold up much better than water bottles meant to be crushed before recycling. Try an old soda bottle or a bottle that held a sports drink for a more durable form. Instead of a longer string of lights, this six-pack of cordless 10-foot innolife LED Fairy String Lights gives you the means to make a cluster of small clouds. 

You can make it rain (or snow) with a few dangling strings of beads. Make a set of holes in the bottles — one set for each string you'll hang — before gluing on the stuffing. Loop a piece of wire through the holes, and connect your weather phenomenon of choice to the wire. Craft your "precipitation" so that you can trade them out with the seasons by equipping each strand with a jewelry clasp that will fit over the wire loop. These faceted NIUBIER Glass Beads will catch the light like a glimpse of sun in a rainstorm. Experience an indoor blizzard by hanging strips of glittering snowflakes from this YoungJewel Crystal Garland. Even though the snowflakes are pre-strung, you can attach a jewelry clasp to one end with either a small piece of wire or a jump ring.