Calabash Lamp

A wonderful project, but you'll have to be careful! A mistake can be disastrous! (Believe me, ;) )

A empty calabash with bottom cut off, a lamp and fitting, spray paint, a drill machine with different sizes of drills, beads in the sizes that fits your drill holes.

Further: sandpaper, some kind of primer a piece of scrap cardboard to protect your surrounding when spraypainting and a vacuumcleaner. ;)

It's not necessary to draw onto the calabash, it helped me, but I had to re-drill some holes, because the holes were filled with paint.

I used sandpaper then I used a primer.

Spray paint a couple of layers, according to the instructions; I had to wait 2 hours in between the next layers.

(To be honest I first tried acrylic paint without sandpaper and could start allover, so I ran to the store and got me a tin of (spray)paint).

Drill, drill and drill some more and then look at your design and probably drill some more!

Be careful not to push to hard, your lamp might break! S

ome holes take some time, others will go trough in an instant.

Add beads if possible from the inside, in the top I couldn't reach, and reached from the outside. I had to drill some of the holes a little bigger for the beads to fit, be very careful, the calabash is fragile moreover it's porous of all the drilled holes.

For some of the beads I used a little glue to stay fixed, most of them didn't need that.

Do not use any gear for the beads, stick with your fingers and when you press; press between your fingers, yes they will hurt a little, rather that than a broken lamp! (Believe me, I tried!)

I had to affix my lamp and used a little piece of polystyrene to make the calabash to fit the fitting.

Wait till it's dark, put on your lamp and enjoy your design!