DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
by Raquel Fagan
Published on 03/02/2012
Mardi Gras beads are great for a party, but what about after? Check out our fresh take on one way to repurpose the leftovers from your festivities.
DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
An estimated 25 million pounds of plastic beads made their way through New Orleans during last month’s Mardi Gras celebrations, according to yearly figures from the
Los Angeles Times, with millions more being tossed and worn elsewhere.
READ: Will Mardi Gras Beads Be Recycled?
This huge number got us thinking: with a nearly unimaginable number of Mardi Gras beads left over, what could we possibly do with them after the celebration is long gone? A craft seemed like a fun place to start, so we polled Earth911 readers about what they’d want our resident crafter to construct out of our own stash of beads. 47 percent wanted the project to be “a surprise.”
Here’s is the fruit of our beady labor: The Lantern.
DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
Supplies:
1. Glue Gun, Sticks
2. Scissors
3. Marker (permanent is preferable)
4. 17 similarly sized strands of Mardi Gras beads, any color
5. 3 used CDs or DVDs
6. Hanger
7. 2 battery-powered tea lights
8. Optional: Scrapbook/Magazine paper to cover up old CD writing or labels.
DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
1. Cut each of the 17 necklaces once, so they are no longer looped but hang in singular strands. Set one strand aside.
2. Carefully cut the center ring out of one of the CDs/DVDs.
Optional Step: I used some leftover scrap paper scraps to decorate the discs. This would be a good way to cover up writing or labels if you don't want them to show.
DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
3. Using the hot glue gun, glue the end bead of each strand around the edge of the center ring of the CD you cut in step 2. They won’t fit perfectly, so it is ok to scrunch them.
4. While the hot glue dries, mark 16 evenly-spaced dots along the outside edge on each of the 2 remaining CDs and set these aside.
DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
5. On one of the CDs, make a holding place for a tea light by using a small portion of the 17th strand. Do this by cutting approximately 3 inches from the strand (about 18 beads), laying the piece in a circle around the center of the CD and gluing the beads in place. Then, repeat the process on the remaining CD.
DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
6. Using a hanger to hold up the CD from step 3, glue each hanging strand to one of the 16 marks on one of the remaining CDs. Pay special attention to make sure the CD will hang evenly. (Tip: Counting out the individual beads will help you to use the same length for each strand.)
7. Repeat the same gluing/counting method for the second CD. Again, you want to make the discs as even and flat as possible.
8. Attach a hook to the top and hang. Add a battery-operated tea light to each CD inside the lantern (since the beads could be flammable, this is a safer option to traditional tea lights.)
DIY: Mardi Gras Bead Lantern
Hang where desired, and enjoy!
Ashly Sam
posted on March 8th, 2012 at 3:58 am
Mary Schrier
posted on March 30th, 2012 at 9:19 pm