How to Make a Wine Bottle Lamp-WIth Christmas Lights Inside!

 Learn how to make a wine bottle accent lamp with mini Christmas lights to amaze your guests at your next party ...or razzle-dazzle your domicile with a little ambiance!

I have a great backstory for this one. I got to attend the Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, Georgia in 2006 (look it up - it's a fun bi-annual craft fair) In one of the booths a vendor was selling handmade wine bottle lamps filled with midget lights. All of them one of a kind with different art on them. That one was hard to leave empty-handed; I left with one that had pretty grape clusters.

Now I enjoyed using mine, but you know I was thinking, "I gotta make one of those, too" I had so much fun making this wine bottle with midget lights inside...yep, just an ordinary string of clear midget lights to make this show-stopper. Yep, the same kind I use for my funky light string covers.

Materials

First a string of clear midget Christmas lights - between 20-35 lights in all; fewer work best. Also it needs to be the kind with one plug and not the multi-string  connector thingy at the other end, as we are going to be feeding the lights through a small hole in the bottle.

You could also use colored midget lights too, instead of clear - which I didn't think of at the time - they would really look snazzy in a transparent clear bottle!

Next the wine bottle itself, but be judicious in choosing one - if you have a collection, pick your favorite! Some wine bottles come in dark colors like green, red or brown and that in themselves can look great all on their own. Also, skinnier bottles may be easier to thread lights through. And a clear bottle, like mine, could also be painted on too, which is what I did.

Other tools include: a special glass drill bit, tape.

Optional: Paints (acrylic enamel for use on glass works best), decor pieces like raffia ties, ribbon, flatbed faux gemstones, etc.

Preparing Your Wine Bottle

First carefully remove the label from the bottle  If you're a wine aficionado, you may prefer to leave the label on, especially if the type is rare or unique, and it adds to the bottle's appeal. In that case you may want to apply a coat of Mod Podge to preserve it.

Prefer to remove labels? With stubborn labels I always use something like Goo Gone which works like gangbusters.

Drilling the Hole for the Light Cord

To make a bottle lamp with Christmas lights the right way, there's some technical skill involved first. You'll have to make that little bitty hole so the light string can pass through easily.

You need a diamond drill bit for this task, very important. They don't look like the kind of bits I use for other crafty tasks. If you are in any way unsure of yourself for this step, please seek assistance from a friend or relative with the know-how. It's not worth swallowing your pride if the bottle breaks cause then you'll be SOL :(

I was kind of scared to attempt it and so I got my ex at the time to do it. This is pretty much the same procedure taken that was necessary for my other lamp from a mason jar :) I was very fortunate, because this is NOT a step I felt confident about.

In addition to the special drill bit you would also need some tape to go over the spot, a misting bottle (all that friction can cause heat and this would be more likely to cause the potential to break) and safety goggles.

The hole just needs to be about the size of a dime to be able to thread midget lights easily.

The area around the cutout hole may be sharp. You'll want to use a little sandpaper or an emery board to go around it so you don't accidentally cut yourself when threading the light string through. You also may want to consider the use of a grommet in this spot to further protect the light string cord.

Inserting the Light String

Now take your string of Christmas lights and begin to thread it through the hole. Proceed carefully; only insert one light at a time.

You may have to tip the bottle sideways and upside down from time to time so the lights will be evenly dispersed in the wine bottle. I had this issue at first where the lights would  clump at the bottom. If you've got a skinnier wine bottle, you may not have this problem so much :)

One thing that works is taking a coat hanger and cutting out the straight part up to the corner and using the corner piece to pull out the light string through the top. I found another cool trick when I got my hands on some floral decor filler - it looks so pretty and really highlights the lights too when I plug it in, in addition to filling in space around the light string.

Can You Make a Wine Bottle Lamp Without Drilling?

This question does get asked from time to time - and, yes. yes you can it just takes a little bit different strategy. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's squeamish about the idea of cutting through glass! The first option is to outsource it - like I did. If you know and trust someone who has the skill.

Second approach is to look for a wine bottle light adapter that has the lights attached. You can find these online and now they are making them with the battery compartment inside the bottle stopper so they will be discreet and not show. They also come in multiples so you can light up a whole passel of wine bottles just for kicks! You can make a special occasion like a wedding, outdoor garden party, or backyard bbq really spectacular.

Below is my own adapter - This was a nice little surprise I found in my 2018 Christmas stocking (yep we still do that :) It takes 3 AAA batteries which are concealed in the tube that goes into the bottle, and turns on and off by pushing the round bulgy top piece.

Jazz Up Your Christmas Light Wine Bottle Lamp

I replaced the cork when I had the crystal filler/lights all in the right place I wanted them. The finishing touch...I wrapped a few strands of raffia near the top in a bow...seems no repurposed bottle is complete without a sprig of raffia on it.

If your wine bottle is clear you might want to consider doing something similar just for the heck of it... I painted a rose and a few other designs on the sides. Another great way to jazz up your lamp; just be sure to use enamel glass paint.

When the paint dries you should be able to plug it into any standard wall outlet and ...walla! Beautiful! Now you know how to make a bottle lamp with Christmas lights to wow your friends or family.

So there you have it...I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Let me know how it goes for you.

DIY Mason Jar Lamp

Originally published 9/26/16  Do you want to learn how to make a mason jar lamp that looks as good as the fancy "designer" jars at the store, but at a fraction of the cost, with easy to locate materials?

Great, because I did too! I learned how to make this beauty you see here, back in 2007, one fine day I was bored and looking for something to do that was artistically challenging.

I saw an actual ball mason jar lamp filled with seashells at a local antique shop and of course I was thinking "I could make that!"

Now here she is, 10 years old and this baby still works like gangbusters with semi-continuous use! 

Not only will you have a real working lamp made out of inexpensive materials but you can also fill the mason jar up with cute treasures! I chose a bunch of my childhood miniature trinkets, but the sky is truly the limit!

Materials List

To create this illuminated beauty, you need a quart-size Mason/Ball jar with respective lid - it's a 64 oz to be exact. Try to find one that big or your lamp may be closer to "nightlight" sized!

A "make-your-own lamp" kit - this one I found to the left is pretty close to the one I bought from Lowe's at the time. Some kits include a brass harp and finial to support the lampshade or you can purchase those separately.

You can paint your jar; I recommend acrylic enamel paints for this part...OR objects to go into the jar if you want to make this lamp super fun! Object suggestions include: Seashells, wine corks, miniature building playset bricks, candy, or heck, you can steal my miniature toy idea :)

Other tools you'll need include:

Small needle-nose pliers

A glass drill bit (one half or one fourth inch size)

Painter's tape

Water spray bottle

Marking tool like a Sharpie pen

Small or medium sized lampshade - somewhere around 12" in height will work fine.

Your "make your own lamp kit" contents may vary in appearance overall, but they should include:

An 8 foot electric cord

Light socket base/cap

Threaded "nipple"

Check ring

Locknut

This pretty much the whole "kit and kaboodle" right here. Don't forget there will be an instruction sheet included too - I did the best I could here with this post to "reverse engineer" but you may have to refer to something on paper which I understand.You may not need all three of the locknuts (the white stopper looking parts)  them for this project - I think they were intended for use with bottles or to re-wire an old lamp.

Decorating Your Mason Jar

First decide if you want to paint your jar or fill it with cute objects. If you're opting for the former now is the time to do that part! You can tint your mason jar in a translucent color or give it a nice opaque look with a solid color, like this example to the left.

You can use a brush or sponge or distribute it by squirting a little and rolling the jar around in different directions.

It'll probably need a few days to dry before proceeding with the rest of the lamp.

Drilling Your Mason Jar

OK - step one! If you are like me and a stickler for neatness, I recommend drilling a small hole through the jar so the electric cord can pass through easily. and there's less of it exposed.

Get prepared - you'll need your painters' tape, special diamond drill bit, and water bottle for this. Tear off a piece of tape and "mark" a spot close to the bottom of the jar on both the outside AND  inside for extra protection.

Using your pen, draw a small hole about the size of a dime. (about three-fourth's of an inch from the bottom.) Are you ready? I'll admit - this part can seem scary. Just remember:

Take your time, go SLO-O-WLY...

Don't force the bit.

Periodically mist the spot with water as this step will cause a lot of heat due to the friction.

Follow some Youtube tutorials if you have to!

Thankful that my ex at the time performed this task as I was a little apprehensive about doing it myself. If you feel uncomfortable about it, though, don't worry; as the lamp kit socket base has a small opening that the cord can thread out of.

Getting the Lid Ready

Take the jar lid and make a mark with a permanent pen or similar, right in the middle. Cut or drill a small opening (about the size of a nickel, maybe close to an inch). Use whatever instrument feels comfortable for you here and is sharp enough to do the job correctly; you may also want to put down a wood block or something to put under the lid as you cut.

This strategy helps me out a lot since I don't have a "workhorse" or anything! Also, don't worry if your hole doesn't look perfectly round either - just make sure the opening is big enough for the lamp kit apparatus to pass through it. Also, be sure and sand around the opening since the edges may be sharp, too (I use an emery board for this).

Assembling the Lamp Wiring

The opening for the lid above will be for the check ring, locknut and  threaded "nipple" from the kit to go through.

This step here must be done before the assembly of the lamp socket. Your included electric cord has a plug on one end and an "unattached" end with two slightly exposed wires.

Thread this wire side through the jar lid opening and then through the "nipple".

Thread the check ring over these parts next. Thread the metal harp over the check ring. The metal harp is the device that will support your lampshade. Next push the socket cap into place over the lid, nipple and check ring.

Note: If you prefer to use a lampshade with a metal clamp fitting you will not need the brass harp piece, so you can skip that part.

The electric cord separates and each end has a golden look to it. There are two inner screws inside the socket base. One is gold and the other is silver. Wrap the non-ribbed wire part around the gold screw and the ribbed wire around the silver screw.

Don't worry if this sounds confusing, when you're looking at the parts up close it'll become clear. The needle nose pliers will come in handy for this to secure the wires down snugly.

Attach the socket cap part (this is where the light bulb will go) into the base firmly. Here is a close-up of both socket parts. You can see which part has the "switch" that will make the light turn on and off.

Filling Up the Jar

Now comes the most fun part - if you want to put some cute objects into the jar now is your chance! Try to be strategic about it if you can. I know I took a few of my toys out and moved them around before I was happy overall with the look.

Also there were some in particular I wanted to show off more. I grew up in the 80s and the most iconic characters included Strawberry Shortcake, Alf, E.T., Care Bears....you can tell I'm kind of going off on a nostalgia tangent here. Sorry about that :)

When you've got the objects arranged the way you like them then go ahead and screw the jar lid back on.

Final Assembly Steps

Still with me here? Great! Don't worry, you've got the hard parts behind you, we are just about to cross the finish line. There are a few more parts to put into place, but they will only take a minute to do.

Attach the lampshade you have chosen. The shade can be as flamboyant or plain as you want, but the important thing is to choose one that's kind of small-ish and complements the lamp in a pleasing way.

If you want you can decorate your lampshade too; I did so with the use of some crafting stencils.

Secure your lampshade (if you don't have the kind with the metal clamp) using a finial, which can also be decorative, and goes into a threaded area on top of the metal lamp harp. And I think you know where this is going....

Grab a bulb (a standard 50-60 watt is what I use)and now switch 'er on to make sure she is working!

Bravo! ... Give yourself a pat on the back as you have learned how to make a beautiful mason jar lamp that is unique, one of a kind and will grace your end table, desk, or nightstand.

Here is the video of my lamp as it looks now:Have fun! I know that was a LOT of steps...It was worth it, though, right? I think my cat will agree....this lamp is one of a kind!

If you get stuck at any point don't hesitate to drop me a message in the comments.

Now...here's the part where I did some changes to it later on. I did find myself taking a good look at it enough to find myself dissatisfied. Namely, with the metal harp - that thing has been an Achilles' heel as long as I can remember.

But only last night did it finally dawn on me that I could remove that thing once and for all...yes, it might mean having to start fresh with new wiring and all, but it would be worth the trouble.

As I turned out I realized I didn't know that much about lampshades. The fact is, lampshades are not just superficially different - they actually have what is called different "fitters" -If you have a lampshade with a metal triad at the top with an opening in the middle, you've got a "spider" fitter.

The "clamp" as I described it, is just simply known as a "clip on" fitter...it just rests atop of your lightbulb holding on to it snugly.

I decided to give my lamp a well, partial makeover. I got a small clip-on fitter lampshade at Lowes for under $10 and a new lamp assembly kit.

Yes that meant I had to open that sucker up I made way back when and then empty all those little toys out and start from scratch...well, not exactly total scratch, but what I did was re-wire with a new socket (boy that whole thing got hairy) If you've got time for a story, here's how the whole thing played out.

The kit looks pretty much like the one I bought a decade ago, so I'm like "Here goes" when opening it up and spreading out the objects and the paper insert. All is going well until I come to this one line in the steps: "Remove a fourth of an inch of the casing below the electrical wire ends using a wire stripper" Cue the record scratch noise right about now.  What the heck is a wire stripper?

Back to the ol' toolbox to see if by some miracle I have one of those (after Googl-ing it to see what it actually looked like!) OK, these here are about the best I can do...

As it turns out they were not; neither of them were the thing I needed. Bending that wire around the screws inside the socket cap looked like it was going to be an ordeal unless I figured out something. I have a healthy respect for electricity meaning I want to leave it up to the professionals.

As it turned out the only thing that came close was my manicure scissors and I had to be really really careful trimming that part of the casing off so the wires would wrap around correctly (Darn it, I didn't run into this with my first kit!)

Maybe I just got lucky, but I was able to finish the job and ta da, the light lit up when I tested it out, then rejoiced and put all those little toys back in there, and proceeded with the lampshade.

But labor or snafus aside, let me tell you, without that metal harp in the way it just worked 100% better. It works and it looks great! Sure, it don't have that flamboyant lampshade and teardrop finial but it is still much more secure.

I realize that sometimes simple can be a good thing. I've always felt like if it doesn't take as long as I thought to do an art project something must be wrong, but I am finding out that's not always true.