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You can brighten up a room a few different ways with new paint, flowers or even using string lights. Yes I am talking about the ones that you normally string around your Christmas tree as decoration during the holidays, but instead of packing them away with the tree, you should try out some of these really neat DIY string light ideas.
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Indoor DIY String Lighting Ideas
Indoor string lights can illuminate a dark room, set mood lighting or even create a simple nightlight with items you already have laying in your home. Here are some of the coolest DIY string light ideas that I could find to enhance the inside walls of your home.
1. Egg Carton Flower Lamp
Who would have thought that you could make really cute flowers from an egg carton? This tutorial shows you how to make a cluster of the egg carton flowers to create a small lamp that you can set on an end table or nightstand.
While it can seem a little bit more of a challenging task, after a few flowers you should get the hang of it. Plus this is a pretty cheap fun craft that you can do without breaking the bank buying tools or supplies.
If you like the flowers but you are seeking more of a garland, then you can still make each flower for your set of string lights. Once attached, you can hang this string light flower garland around your home somewhere to add chic lighting.
Check out this neat tutorial here: www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com
2. Lighted Canvas
Illuminate your wall décor by creating a lighted canvas picture. I absolutely love the three canvas idea in this DIY task. It gives the picture a beautiful flowing feeling while also allowing you to create a wider lite area on your walls.
You can choose to do a large canvas that can cover a big wall in a room or a smaller sized triple canvas picture that can illuminate a smaller hallway.
This is also a fairly easy picture to paint yourself, even if you aren’t super handy with a paint brush. Because it only uses a few colors and basic shapes, you’ll find that the paint will dry fast and you’ll finish in no time. You can also take comfort with the black background, if you make too many seeds like the original poster did, all you have to do is cover them up with a little black background paint.
Get started on your own by following the step by step directions here: www.offbeathome.com
3. Marquee Letters
These letters are so great because you can do so much with them. Versatile and pretty simple to make, these lit up letters make an eye-catching statement in and around your home.
You can create single letters for light up monogramming for your decor. You can also create multiple letters to spell out words like “EAT” in the Kitchen or spell out a name in the entryway and bedrooms of your home, above the bed’s headboard or wall.
You can use a simple scroll saw for beginners to carve the letters from wood. Find some great patterns here in my comprehensive article.
This project is also a fantastic idea for wedding decor. You can spell out encouraging words for the new couple, light up the newlywed’s united last name or do simple single letter monograms around the reception area.
Take a look at the project here: www.greenweddingshoes.com
4. Twinkle Light Branch Divider
Here is a great idea for repurposing an older divider that needs a makeover, or simply creating your own divider with simple materials. Despite the large size of this craft, it is fairly straightforward to make and any average DIYer could easily tackle this task, it just takes some time.
The video included in the link below helps give you a better idea of what you should do while creating this beautiful divider. It will also help you see where you should place each nail with your brad nailer and how to tie the branches onto the wire.
This lighted branch divider project would be a statement piece in your home as well as add a twinkling earthly element to sitting rooms or bedrooms. You could also make it a little more modern by choosing different colors and even spray painting the branches before you add them in.
See how to make this here: www.hometalk.com
5. Doily Wreath
A DIY wreath is a great customized idea for any home. Creating an illuminating wreath is a great idea for holiday decor, illuminating a focal point wall in your home, brightening an entryway or even adding some illuminating lighting to your front door.
A side note, if you are creating a light for your front door, then you will want to opt for battery powered string lights, since having a cord running to an outlet from the closed door won’t work as well.
This wreath also can double as a beautiful Christmas decoration – just add some festive colors to it.
Get the easy to follow tutorial here: www.bonafidebride.blogspot.com
String Lighting Kids Room Ideas
DIY string light ideas are not just for the main rooms in your home, they can also add a magical element to your little ones bedrooms so that they have a fun way to illuminate the sometimes scary night.
6. Stuffed Animal Light
This is a perfect little night light for your kids, no matter the age. The cute woodland creature adds a comforting element to a dark room as well as provides a soft light that won’t be too bright for bedtime. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make, meaning the kids can join in the fun.
This step by step tutorial shows you how to create a Fox Stuffed Animal Light, but it also shows you how to turn any stuffed animal into a soft lamp shade for the light itself, this way you can personalize it to what your kids love or how their room is decorated.
Learn how to make this cute night light here: www.matsutake.blogspot.com
7. Lighted Headboard
Ditch the dull kids headboards and surprise your big kid with a cool headboard that lights up. This really cool craft requires you to be able to paint, drill holes and put in nails through the wood. If you aren’t too keen on creating a headboard from scratch then you will be thrilled to know that this DIYer only uses a single piece of plyboard that the home improvement store cut to size for them.
While the tutorial shows a starry night sky that could be geared more towards a boy, it is pretty simple to create something a little more chic for a girls room. You could create a light up flower for a sunny garden scene or get really advanced and make a light up butterfly.
Get started on this headboard for kids here: www.diynetwork.com
8. Ping Pong Lights
String lights can sometimes be a little bright, especially when you are using LED lights which I highly recommend for this next project.
Due to the ping pong balls being sensitive to high levels of heat, the LED string lights are a perfect fit since they stay cool when left on for long periods of time.
I also think it is really cool how the ping pong balls give this light string a frosted look, which gives a nice glow to any room without being overly bright for bedtime.
You can hang these frosted lights around the bed area or create a lighted mobile for your little one in the crib to gaze at in awe.
Create your own ping pong ball lighting with these instructions: www.sayyes.com
9. Illuminated Canopy Bedding
Okay, I admit that this is primarily geared towards the little princess in your life, or the adult princess that is your teen or yourself.
Having a canopy bed is already a gorgeous addition to any bedroom, but when you add lights, it takes this bedding to an enchanting new level.
You can create a string light canopy with the lights all by themselves, or soften the light some by intertwining string lights around light sheer curtains.
By choosing a sheer fabric, you are still allowing most of the light to shine through while also muffling the brightness of the light so that it isn’t too overwhelming at nighttime.
Get inspiration for your canopy bed here: www.breakfastwithaudrey.com
10. Firefly Light
Take your kids back to the days of catching fireflies and putting them in a jar to reawaken that sense of wonder.
This DIY can of lights can mimic the feeling of having fireflies in a container, especially if you opt for lights that alternate blinking and glowing.
And if you get stuck, there is always the option to copy and paste into google translate for some further clarity.
Check out this project here: www.alittlecraftinyourday.com
Outdoor DIY String Lighting Ideas
Warm evenings outdoors should be accentuated with some fun lighting.
Whether you prefer simple hanging lights or want more of a statement piece over your outdoor bar, I have a nice variety of some great outdoor DIY string light ideas for you to try.
Some of these projects take a matter of minutes, while others involve a few more steps.
They also make a great addition to light an outdoor fire pit area.
Enjoy!
11. Lighted Vine Balls
No outdoor party is complete without some really neat lighting that doubles as a talking point, because who wouldn’t comment on how cool these lights are.
This is a super easy project, since you will be putting string lights inside of already made grapevine balls.
You can choose to create the hanging outdoor chandelier or create your own flow of lighting by hanging the light balls in different areas.
If you love this idea but want more of a DIY challenge, then I have a similar idea a little further down that has you create your own ball shape with the lights and some wire.
Check out this chic lighting here: www.allthingsheartandhome.com
12. Flameless Fire Pit
If you live in an apartment with a small deck, patio or balcony then you are limited to having open flames due to fire safety.
With this really neat flameless fire pit, you can recreate the summertime bonfire feeling without breaking any rules or having to add more firewood to a burning fire place.
The tutorial suggests an off white colored log setup, but you can change the colors to create a more realistic wood look for your fire pit by either painting the finished faux logs or picking different colored materials.
You can even go one step further by getting a few bricks to create a little circle for your flameless fire pit to sit in once it is complete. This project is perfect if you can’t create a live fire pit outdoors.
Here is the full set of plans: – www.blog.freepeople.com
13. Seashell Lights
Missing those summer nights at the beach with your toes in the sand and the cool breeze coming off the ocean? Well, you can inspire your outdoor escape to reflect your love of the coast with these really great Seashell String Lights.
You can hang a few strings of these lights in the air around your outdoor space, line a gate with them, or lay the lighted sea shells around an object such as a fire pit or a walkway, and all you’ll be needing is some glue to put this project together.
While this DIY craft calls for using lighter tourist shells that you can find in most beach shops, you could try to find your own shells to use the next time you visit the beach.
Get this instructions for this beachy idea here: www.wehangchristmaslights.com
14. DIY Globe Lights
If you loved the previous grape vine balls but want to find a simpler DIY task that won’t cost as much money then you can try these really cute Globe String Lights.
These globe lights also use more of a string light set to fully illuminate the globe, so that you can spread them out a little further 2-3 balls per set of string lights.
I also love how these lights are simple enough to hang from a tree to add a simple lighting element that looks like it belongs in nature without being too flashy or modern to clash with the outdoors.
Get this easy tutorial here: www.lowes.com
15. String Light Words
Simple hanging lights are a nice way to add light around your outdoor space, but sometimes you want more of a statement piece that says something, literally.
You can spell out a word, create a simple shape similar to the lighted headboard I talked about earlier or personalize your space with a monogrammed letter.
If you are a little squeamish about putting nails into the side of your home or on an outdoor wall, then you could also opt to use less permanent zip ties to connect the string lights to a metal or wooden fence.
Take a look: www.abeautifulmess.com
To Wrap It Up
Whether you opt to string up outdoor lights or try your hand at these some of above projects, these DIY string light ideas will give your home a new luminescent feeling as you add a little custom light into your spaces.
