Straw cluster chandelier

Straw cluster chandelier

Believe it or not, I have a drawer full of old drinking straws — superfluous craft supplies are an occupational hazard. So I was thrilled to see this straw chandelier project come across my desk, because now I can use them for something beautiful!

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Materials

  • one bolt of 24-gauge wire
  • 120 drinking straws
  • 1 yard of 10-gauge wire (you can also use an old wire lamp shade or heavy gauge wire coat hanger)

Time: 3–5 hours, depending on size and scissor skills (80% of time is spent cutting straws)

Instructions

1. Cut straws into non-uniform sections, removing any bendy parts (is there a technical term for these?)

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2. Use a small pair of scissors to make vertical incisions around the straw, leaving a 1-cm band in the middle. No need for precision here, just work toward the maximum number of incisions while leaving yourself something to grip on to later.

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3. Run a 10” length of the 24-gauge wire through the remaining/unsliced tube and bend in half.

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4. Use your fingers to twist the wire around itself, locking in the straw at one end.

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5. Make your base by shaping the heavier 10-gauge wire into a loose spiral (wrapping around a sauce pot works well). You can also skip the spiral and go for a free-form bird cage shape, or just use and an old wire lamp shade. If you are hanging a pendant light through the base, use the lighter 24-gauge wire to form a star shape at the top, as this will allow you to slip the bulb in later.

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6. Wrap the twisted wire around your lamp base and secure. Note, 70% of the straws here are secured so that they remain suspended 4” off the base; the other 30% range from 1” to 10” to give it a more non-uniform, organic feeling.

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Courtesy: designsponge.com