Fashion A Fluffy Light Fixture With Affordable Dollar Tree Finds

If you've dreamed of basking in the romantic dreamy glow of light passing through a globe of feathers, you're in luck. You can make a fluffy light fixture for pennies all by using Dollar Tree finds. A feather boa added to a paper lantern is an extremely easy upgrade that can add soft drama to any room. To bring this stylish statement lighting idea to life, hit your local Dollar Tree for a paper lantern and a white feather boa. You should also make sure to have some Mod Podge or spray lacquer, a glue gun, and a can of hairspray. Starting at either opening in the lantern, simply begin gluing and coiling the boa around the edges of the lantern until you've covered the entire surface of the lantern.

However, before getting started you might want to consider some additional tips for strengthening the fruits of your labor. While this project is both quick and cheap, neither paper lanterns nor feather boas are known for their durability. Applying Mod Podge or a spray lacquer to the paper lantern before gluing on the feather boa can give the thin paper walls a bit more reinforcement. Similarly, giving your feather boa a good spritz with hairspray – before gluing it to the lantern — can help prevent some of the shedding that can make feather boas a pain to have around. You can even use a glitter hairspray for some extra razzle dazzle.

Considering how susceptible feathers are to even the slightest breeze, making your shade with a hot glue could end up being a sticky mess. However, the secret to keeping fibers from clinging to your glue gun could actually be sitting in your medicine cabinet: Dabbing petroleum jelly around the metal tip of your glue gun can help keep fibers from sticking to the gun as you work. Also, if you can't find a solid white lantern at Dollar Tree, you can try swapping the Mod Podge or spray lacquer for spray paint instead. However, keep in mind that if paint can block out the light from your lantern if applied too thickly.

While the spherical shape of this light fixture is one of its most distinctive features, you can also adapt this trick seamlessly to give an old lampshade a fresh new look with a feathery coating. Keep in mind that, for larger lampshades, you might need more than one feather boa. Also, remember that feathers are highly flammable so be sure to outfit your lamp with a cool-to-the-touch light bulb — like an LED — before giving your shade a trial run.