upcycled light bulb necklace

I was asked to participate in a DIY project on Buzz Feed this past week and the assignment was to make something out of old light bulbs. After a few weeks of brainstorming and basically asking everyone I talked to what they would make out of old an old light bulb, this easy upcycled light bulb necklace was my final product. Keep reading for the full tutorial!

Materials Needed:

• a few basic jewelry tools: round nose pliers, flat nose pliers and a side cutter (to cut the wire)
• small light bulb
• 20-22 gauge craft wire in the color(s) of your choice
• 24” chain (or any length, really, I just thought 24″ was a good length)
• Jump ring (I used a 10mm size)

Don’t have any old light bulbs? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. I went to the ReStore by Habitat for Humanity and hit the light bulb jackpot. I bought around 20 bulbs of all different shapes and sizes for 15 bucks. I hope you’re ready for some more light bulb crafts in the future, because I still have an entire box of bulbs waiting to be upcycled in some way.

1. Cut a piece of wire 14”-16” long and make a small loop on one end with the round nose pliers.

2. Make a bend below the loop with the flat nose pliers.

3. Wrap the wire around a marker or dowel that is slightly smaller than the lightbulb’s base. If you don’t have one, you can wrap the wire the directly around the lightbulb, just make sure to keep the wire tight! Leave some extra at the end for finishing.

4. Take the wire off the marker and slide onto the bulb. You may have to play with the wire a bit to get it looking just how you want it. Twist the extra wire under at the bottom and trim off any excess. Attach the jump ring to the loop at the top, put on the chain, and wear your new necklace!

And don’t worry, these little light bulbs are much stronger than you think. I had a couple of them in my purse for entire week without any padding and they totally survived.

So now I have to ask all of you, what would you make out of an old light bulb?!