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Hemp pendant lamps
25Mar2009
Inspired by West Elm’s gorgeous Abaca pendant lamps
Super talented Heika DeHart strikes again. These pendant lamps she made of hemp string are genius. Plus, don’t you love how they look with her wallpaper? Heika writes: “I fell in love with West Elm’s Abaca pendent lamp a few years ago but, as usual, my taste was more expensive than my wallet could support. However, I was sure that I could copy them at a fraction of the cost.” I love the natural look of the hemp, but you could also use white or colored string. I’ve seen others make string lamps using balloons (which are oval), but Heika has an innovative solution for achieving perfectly round lamp shades.
How to make hemp string pendant lamps
Supplies and tools
- bouncy balls of various sizes
- clear drying craft glue (about 1 bottle per ball) such as Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue
- hemp string 20lb. weight
estimated amounts needed:
16 inch diameter ball—400 yards
14 inch diameter ball—300 yards
9 inch diameter ball—100 yards - plastic gloves (optional)
- trash bag or small drop cloth
- permanent marker
- ball inflating needle (available at sporting goods stores or bike shops)
- light fixture and hardware (Lowe’s doesn’t carry the fixture that Heika used anymore. Search online for pendant fitters or pendant light kits.) Try one of these:
1. Draw a circle on the ball with a permanent marker. This circle will mark a space on the lamp that needs to remain clear of string. The empty circle will be used in assembling the light fixture and will allow you to have access for changing light bulbs. If the light fixture you are using has lamp shades, make sure that the circles are big enough for the shades to easily pass through.
2. Cover your work surface with trash bags or a drop cloth, and put on gloves (this gets messy).
3. The best way, I found, to apply the glue is to squeeze a quarter size amount onto your fingers and run the hemp string through the glue and then wrap it around the ball. The string should stick fairly easily to the ball. I tried two other methods that also worked reasonably well, but were much more time consuming and made a bigger mess. You can fill a shallow tub with the glue and run the hemp string through it, or you can apply the glue directly to the string from the bottle.
4. Glue and wrap, glue and wrap, glue and wrap. Just keep going. Try to wrap randomly to avoid criss-cross patterns. The more densely wrapped the lamp is the stronger it will be.
5. Make sure to avoid wrapping string over the circle area. If there are any areas that seem weak, you can apply a little extra glue to give it more strength.
6. Repeat the steps 1-5 to make multiple lamps. Let the glue dry completely. (The glue I recommended takes about 48 hours to cure completely.)
7. Use the inflating needle to deflate the ball.
8. Remove the deflated ball from the lamp.
9. This part takes some basic electrical skills. Follow the installation instructions that come with your light fixture. While installing the light string, feed the wires through the circle hole of the lamp and up through the top, so that the light bulb will hang down in the center of the sphere.
- Tags: lighting
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March 25, 2009 at 5:23 pm
amazing! Great work!
March 25, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Excellent–love it. It gives me a neat idea for a shade for a table lamp.
March 25, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Love it! What a great tutorial. Can’t wait to make my own!
March 25, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I love the new look of the room, Heika. The lamps are super cute!
March 25, 2009 at 9:27 pm
this is just briliant. I would have never thought of making my own lamps at all. I would have never thought that it would be this do-able. Thank you for this. :)
March 26, 2009 at 8:12 am
Awesome!! You continually amaze me with your creativity and genius. Thanks for sharing :0)
March 26, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Heika, you could sell these! They look even better than the West Elm version.
March 26, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Wow, she is talented, those are amazing! I’ll be linking.
March 26, 2009 at 11:58 pm
This is a great idea! I can see it being adapted for other crafts as well. Thank you for sharing!
March 28, 2009 at 12:02 am
As Britney says, Heika’s look better, they have much better uniform form and overall more lovely than the expensive West Elm version…and I guess my creative juices are now flowing because I’m thinking one could even use inexpensive sturdy twine for no guilt spray painting. White would be stunning and heck any color to suit a decor on these.
March 30, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Well done step by step. Nice photos and instructions. This looks like something even I could do.
April 1, 2009 at 6:00 am
Thanks so much!! great tutorial :D
all the best from Madrid
April 1, 2009 at 8:52 am
Wonderful! Do you think I could make it into a lampshade instead of a pendant lamp, however? I have quite a few shadeless lamps.
April 1, 2009 at 8:53 am
This is fantastic! I made a similar lamp but I used a round balloon, which was a huge pain because when I popped it, it exploded and was difficult to pick off of the string. I’m going to have to try it again with this method!
April 1, 2009 at 9:15 am
I was just looking at West Elm’s lamps like this, but they were sold out… not like I would pay $80 each for them anyway.
This is pure genius… I know I’ll be covered in glue and hemp this weekend!
April 1, 2009 at 10:13 am
How does the string detach from the ball? Does the glue not make the string stick permanently to the ball? Genius idea. I’ll try it.
April 1, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Amazing! Can you tell me were I can find this wallpaper?
April 1, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Ana – Heika bought the wallpaper from Target. Unfortunately, they’re now sold out. Bummer. Has anyone seen this wallpaper sold elsewhere? For other great wallpapers I’ve found, check out this post.
April 1, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Ok, thanks for answering.
Craft: DIY Hemp Pendant Lamps | Elizabeth Anne Designs Living: A Food, Lifestyle and Craft Blog said,
April 2, 2009 at 7:01 am
[...] you believe these were DIY versions of the pricier West Elm versions? Related posts from our archives: Craft: DIY SoapCraft: DIY [...]
April 2, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Sof – Sure, I think you could adapt these into table-lamp shades. You could hang them from a harp or wrap the string around something cylindrical instead of circular (maybe a small plastic trash can?) and tie it onto a lampshade top ring. Let me know what works best for you.
babbymomma – This is from Heika: “I didn’t have any problem with glue sticking to the ball. The only hitch comes if there is too much glue on the string. In that case, when the ball is removed, there is a thin film of glue left in between the strings that you have to pick out. I had this problem when I tried dragging the string through a shallow tub of glue and when I applied the glue directly to the string from the bottle. When I put the glue on my fingers and applied it the way I recommended, I didn’t have any problems with it.”
April 4, 2009 at 8:48 am
Absolutely love the idea it looks great. I will surely be trying this in my new apartment. Also very beautiful is the hardware you used for the light itself, could i ask what hardware or where you got it from?
April 4, 2009 at 9:07 am
I think these are clever! Any recommendation on how to install a tea candle holder as opposed to electrical?
hemp pendant lamps. « said,
April 6, 2009 at 8:11 am
[...] they great!? If you want to make a hemp pendant lamp yourself, click here for full instructions! Have fun, and let me know how they turn [...]
April 7, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I’m curious about safety here: any recommendations to make sure there there aren’t any fire hazards in the finished product? I believe that Tacky Glue is not flammable, but hemp sure is.
April 7, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Amanda – I recommend using compact florescent light bulbs. They put off less heat. Other than that, make sure the shade is far enough away from the bulb (you could add some kind of spacer), and space out your string enough so that air can escape. I don’t think Heika has had any trouble with hers.
April 9, 2009 at 8:07 am
Great step by step instructions! They look like you paid a lot for them.
April 10, 2009 at 9:00 am
Wow–this is brilliant! Okay, I’ve only been on your blog a few mins and I’ve already boookmarked 3 posts. Time to add you to my google reader. Fabulous blog!
April 10, 2009 at 1:24 pm
OMG! I found your blog at 5am this morning in a caffeine fueled google session and I’m in LOVE! Do you realise that many of your projects including the jam jar lanterns, salvage cupboard tray, cake stands and shuttered noticeboard (great for unique guest book) are just screaming WEDDING!? I’m getting married in March and there are quite a few projects I’ll be incorporating into our decorations from here (including making these hemp lamps and filling them with orchids for the tables). Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou! Keep the gold coming.
April 23, 2009 at 10:29 am
I LOVE THIS, thank you!
I made my first of three last weekend. I think i used too much glue and now am having a hard time removing the extra. Anyone else have this issue? Would appreciate any suggestions people have on removing the extra after the fact.
April 30, 2009 at 12:50 pm
My mother and I did something similar for easter eggs as a child only we used sugar water for the glue and a balloon for the form , obviously these we not permanent but they were fun .
May 17, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I’ve made the same style pendants with string and fabric stiffener. I found the instructions in ReadyMade magazine. You can go to their website and I think I typed “string theory” in the search box because that was what the article in the magazine was called. I used “Stiffy” from Michaels crafts store and a thin thread like crochet thread, mine have been hanging for about 5 months and are still quite firm and strong. Good luck!
May 17, 2009 at 1:30 pm
John Lee – Thanks for the info. I had forgotten about that article. It was on the cover, right? But does anyone know where to get “round balloons” that ReadyMade recommends? Personally, I’ve never seen a perfectly round balloon. That’s why I think Heika’s technique is genius.
May 19, 2009 at 5:08 am
Gorgeous.. and I am so going to try this for an upcoming friend’s shower!!!
DIY Lampshades | Tiny Choices said,
May 21, 2009 at 3:01 am
[...] but better ’cause it’s homemade. I found the same concept over at CraftyNest, where she makes this lamp using hemp string– it’s a gorgeously natural [...]
May 25, 2009 at 5:44 am
That is really awesome. I want to give this a try for sure. Thanks for sharing.
May 28, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I love this idea. I’m going to recreate it with different colors string on a smaller version with balloons for my step-daughter’s room.
June 1, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I made 2 this weekend after seeing this. They are super cool. Only I didn’t pay very good attention to the directions and bought 75 lb hemp…or twine….and it STILL looks great. Only thing was, I had to use 2 bottles of glue for one ball. I’m going to hang ours out on our patio….cool huh?
June 4, 2009 at 8:57 am
Hi there! I’ve just found this website and I am in awe as I browse it!!! Such gorgeous creations and just… WOW!!! Keep up the good work, guys!
June 11, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Yeah, I think and hope that everyone who stumbles across this site purchases and destroys several bouncy balls and then throws them into the ocean for their naturalistic hemp balls.
June 11, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Bella – You’ve just proved the fact that nobody reads anymore. If you had read the tutorial, you would have known that Heika used a deflating needle, and that the glue doesn’t stick to the ball, so it’s reusable for its intended purpose as long as bouncy balls last. Just re-inflate the ball and pass it to a kid. Or are you just a bouncy-ball hater?
June 16, 2009 at 12:31 pm
@ John Lee: Any thoughts on using narrow ribbon with the “stiffy” or do you think we start to run into flamability? What do you guys think?
June 16, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Such a fabulous idea! I was hoping to try something like this to replace our hideous ceiling fan light fixtures. They all have 4 individual lightbulbs with glass lampshades coming out underneath the fan. Do you think these would work to cover up all four lightbulbs, or should I be worried about the hemp/glue being that close to heat? The shades wouldn’t have a lot of clearance around the bulbs…
June 25, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Mary – I don’t think narrow ribbon would be any more flammable than string. Just make sure you leave openings for air to escape, in my opinion. Please let me know if it works.
Kat – If the shades won’t have much clearance around the bulbs, I don’t think I’d risk it—especially with the fan so close. Who knows what will happen when the fan is on. Yikes!
July 19, 2009 at 5:51 am
Wow! This is great! You’re very talented! I might try it some day…
July 19, 2009 at 7:00 am
I love these. I have made over a dozen of them and also used them in groupings with different sizes and different colored hemp. I’ve also spray painted them to match different arrangements. These are fun to do and I think they would make great gifts too!!
July 19, 2009 at 7:01 am
And as far as worrying about the heat from the light bulbs…use the energy effecient bulbs they have now. They don’t get as hot…..
July 30, 2009 at 4:52 pm
i made the hemp balls and am trying to put it together with the light fixture. how do you get the light pendant bulbs through the hemp ball? please help!
August 3, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Hua Moua – I think you need to use a similar type of light fixture to Heika’s. She was able to feed the wires through the top of the hemp ball before attaching them to the fixture at the ceiling. Best of luck to you!
September 4, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Genius. Pure genius.
October 28, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Love, Love, Love this tutorial it is just what I was looking for. Can’t wait to try but can you tell me the exact light fixture you used to create this beauty?
October 28, 2009 at 3:31 pm
If this helps, I made it and it looks great. You will need some light electrical experience to know how to wire it (I had the help of my fiance). This is how it looks like in my dining room. :) Thanks for such an awesome idea and tutorial!
November 1, 2009 at 7:57 pm
This is such an amazing idea! I blogged about it recently and I hope to try it out myself. To see my post, go here.
Thanks for such a great project!
xoxo
Kimmay
pligg.com said,
December 27, 2009 at 12:46 am
Hemp pendant lamps – Craftynest…
Craftynest shares practical, inexpensive, and pretty DIY home decorating crafts and ideas. Many of the do-it-yourself projects include salvaged, green, or recycled materials. Blog specialty: upcycling dilapidated furniture….
January 2, 2010 at 9:04 am
Thanks so very much for the wonderful idea!!!
January 4, 2010 at 10:20 pm
I like this idea, but am hoping to do something with wire, rather than hemp (bending it around the ball). Has anyone seen anything like this? I’m not sure if there would be any safety concerns…
February 15, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I love the work you have done!!!!! It is a real copy of those expensive lamps…
March 12, 2010 at 8:02 am
My compliments! I read this tutorial and had to try it myself. So yesterday i finally did.. My lamp turned out really great! I used à very big ball, and lots of white string. Thanks for sharing. Greetings from the Netherlands!!
March 27, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Great instructional, Monica – thank you for sharing Heika DeHart’s art! Nice job, Hua Moua; that looks so classy!
I had been looking for one of those old 60s/70s spaghetti pendant lamps for the sunroom, but I think one of these in white will be much, much better and definitely something I can do. Thanks again! :]
April 1, 2010 at 3:40 pm
This project looks great and was great fun! I was wondering if anyone else had an issue with how long it takes the glue smell to fade, or if there was something that could be done to get rid of it faster. I made the lamp 4 days ago and the fumes from it are pretty strong.
Thanks for the awesome instructions and ideas :D
April 14, 2010 at 9:52 am
I am so doing this this weekend!!! But I have a problem – the Lowe’s link is not working and it doesn’t say what kind of light fixture you need. Help! I am craft obsessed. I hope yarn works. I have some sock yarn that will match my living room, I Hope :)
April 14, 2010 at 11:54 am
These are so cool! Just say them featured via Etsy and I can’t wait to try this. Now I know why we had to learn paper mache in 2nd grade!
April 17, 2010 at 5:16 am
Wow! I’m so going to make these for our house! Thanks
April 20, 2010 at 11:03 pm
the link to the lowes light fixture and hardware didn’t connect to anything other than the lowes homepage. Do these fixtures need to be hardwired?
April 20, 2010 at 11:48 pm
Stephanie & Paola – I just deleted the dead link to the Lowe’s light fixture. Sorry about that. I replaced it with several light fixture options. The pendant fitters need to be hardwired, but the Hemma cord kit doesn’t. Good luck, and happy crafting!
April 27, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Thanks for the great tutorial. I linked to your blog from my post on my Pottery Barn Edison Chandelier inspired light pendants I hope to create.
April 30, 2010 at 7:03 pm
WOW! you did an amazing job. I will def be trying this. thanks alot. Keep em’ coming!
May 10, 2010 at 3:50 am
I was just looking into buying one of these lamps from a local dealer. Now I am thinking of creating one myself. Thank you for the tutorial!
May 10, 2010 at 3:57 pm
i’ve made one of these on a large scale and it looks great.
the only problem is that when we removed it from the ball the “clear” glue is stuck inbetween the pieces of hemp giving it an unfinished look.
we have been picking it out piece by piece with a small needle but it is taking forever….did anyone else encounter this? and if so, how did you resolve this issue…..????
any help would be greatly appreciated!
May 12, 2010 at 11:27 am
I noticed that you used a “fancier” pendant light kit. How much of a hole did you leave at the top for it? I had been thinking of getting some outdoor chinese lanterns to add some lighting to my patio but I like the idea of these much better.
June 10, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Quick question. Where did you get the 3 different sizes of balls? All I can find is a big and a little, no medium.
June 15, 2010 at 12:58 am
These are such lovely lamps and they seems to be easy to make.Well,I wanted to learn hemp patterns that can be used for making lamps?
June 24, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I loved this tutorial. There are few others online for making string lamps, but this one is the best. I followed the instructions to the core and my lamp turned out amazing.I gave a link to your blog for instructions, on my blog. Are you ok with that?
Check out my blog at http://turtlecraftygirl.blogspot.com/2010/06/weekend-project-hemp-lamp.html
July 6, 2010 at 4:22 am
Wow – what a genius idea!! awesome diy that I will be doing for our nursery…
July 23, 2010 at 11:32 am
Love this project – in the process of making one using an exercise ball (has lines already going around it for instant measurements.
One thing no one has mentioned is the (ah hem) strong oder from the hemp. ewwwww. Does it go away? Or maybe I have a bad batch of hemp string.
Aside from this, it’s going well.
Thanks for the tip!
August 9, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Erin – Good question. Try Target, Wal-mart, Toys R Us, or Kmart for different sized bouncy balls. I found some different sizes at Target last spring. Good luck.
September 6, 2010 at 1:46 pm
This is my favorite craft project of all times!! I cant wait to try this!! Thank you so much for posting!
September 13, 2010 at 6:36 pm
I absolutely love this! I might have to try it for my over my dining room table. I love finding new DIY ideas…. this is so creative and chic!
September 30, 2010 at 12:53 pm
for those wondering it looks like she used the Januari cord set from ikea without the diffuser on probably. $10 a piece. She mentioned it earlier in the article and when I went to the link it has the same hardware.
October 19, 2010 at 6:35 pm
I linked to this one in the round up as well ;)
November 13, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Ana – Heika just found the wallpaper at Target again! Looks like it’s a different color but same pattern. It’s Graham & Brown Solitude Wallpaper.
November 14, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Love it! Makes me want to try with different wires and colours. Thank you for putting it in such easy-to-follow instructions.
November 20, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Love it, great idea!! I’ve loved the Random Pendants from DWR for so long, I need to get stocked for this project immediately.
November 24, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Love these, but I can’t seem to find the bouncy balls she used anywhere! Anyone know where to get them?
December 10, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Great idea! I love them. I finally got around to getting the supplies and I got the Hemma cord set from Ikea. I left a hole at the bottom for the bulb but I am confused about how to fit the cord and plug through the top part without having to cut out a hole. Any suggestions? I guess I could leave another small hole at the top…..
December 12, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Julie – Yes, because the Hemma cord set does not disassemble like some of those found at hardware stores, you will have to leave another small hole at the top. Best of luck to you!
December 30, 2010 at 5:47 am
Fantastic post – great tutorial. I linked this to my “lamps and lights” post too, it’s really good!
February 8, 2011 at 12:26 am
i made one big one for my dining! It was a success! Thank you so much!
February 21, 2011 at 6:18 am
W-O-W! This is on my things to do!
March 8, 2011 at 12:22 pm
wooowww süper bişey bunu hemen yapmam lazım…
April 28, 2011 at 1:39 pm
This is such an interesting idea…have you tried this with any other kind of string? I was thinking it might be cool to try with some almost sheer grossgrain ribbon… :)
April 28, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Cheli – Sheer organza ribbon would be gorgeous! I just wonder how it will look smothered in glue. Might be worth a test.
April 29, 2011 at 7:08 am
I made three out of the hemp twine lights a while back and they look awesome. So awesome in fact that my sister decided she wanted one, but to go with her decor she thought white would look best. They do make white hemp twine, but Michael’s only sold it in tiny quantities. So we went over to the yarn section and picked out a tightly wound white cotton yarn. Worked awesome! It has a slightly different feel to it than the hemp does, a little softer and not so earthy, but lovely none the less. We just made it last weekend and it looks great in her eat-in kitchen! Only thing is now she thinks one looks naked and would like to add two more =)
May 6, 2011 at 10:50 pm
I love this! I made one last weekend. It didn’t take long at all. Yes, it does make a mess….I made mine on a white table that I could easily wash off. My only issue with this is the clear glue in between some of the hemp strings. Is there an easy way to remove these? Because it is taking me forever to remove all of these. Thanks!!!
May 12, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Has anyone considered the same process, but using glossy silver metallic wire which wouldn’t need glue? It would be a challenge to get the wire to hold in place, but I suspect it would be an INCREDIBLE finished product. Also – if you use fire-retardant paper or fabric, you can cover the globe with “scales” or “drapes” of the fabric to suit your decor style.
Hack your light fixtures…spraypaint | i heart hackers said,
May 23, 2011 at 10:17 am
[...] next thing I’m going to do is finish these DIY pendant lamps I found on crafty nest . I made the sahde already but I still need to (make my husband) take down [...]
May 30, 2011 at 1:15 am
Hi, I’m from Australia and we use the metric system…i’m a bit confused – we need 400 yards not feet for one ball? It seems like a lot… how many rolls of twine did you use?
Thanks!
May 30, 2011 at 1:53 am
Carolyn Wijaya – Yep, it’s 400 yards, which is roughly 366 meters. I don’t know how many rolls of twine Heika used. I guess it depends on the size of rolls you choose. Yes, these pendants take lots of string. :)
May 30, 2011 at 2:47 am
Thanks so much!!
1 Weekend Project – Twine + Light | said,
June 13, 2011 at 8:20 pm
[...] from Hooray made me fall in love with the DIY Twine + Light!! It’s based on a Craft Nest project and while a little fiddly, I think the result was worth the effort. Don’t you?? [...]
June 16, 2011 at 9:33 am
i certainly love all your contributions but one just have to put these things to work and that’s what i’m going to do now…
June 27, 2011 at 9:18 am
DO YOU MAKE THESE ROUND PENDANT LIGHTS W/ANYTHING OTHER THAN HEMP? I saw one made w/some kind of metal strips wrapped like you do the hemp.
What’s a Pendant Light? | FaveCraftsBlog said,
June 30, 2011 at 9:46 am
[...] hemp pendant lights are similar to my glue yarn ball tutorial I recently posted. You can see some additional tips and [...]
August 9, 2011 at 10:44 am
I wonder if you could do this with ribbon?
August 9, 2011 at 2:08 pm
HelleCat – See comments above. And ask Cheli if she tried it with ribbon yet. :)
August 11, 2011 at 8:07 am
Really nice result. I plan to make it soon. I shared your post on my blog and linked back to you.
Hemp Pendant Lamps | Decor Hacks said,
August 14, 2011 at 6:22 am
[...] anyone can do it. Try it out, and feel free to replace the hemp with any string of your choice. Hemp Pendant Lamps at Crafty Nest // [...]
August 15, 2011 at 7:09 am
You just gave me new Ideas for some projects. Im thinking of different things to wrap in those balloons. Thank you for this!
August 18, 2011 at 7:58 am
these are simple and elegant – love them!
Morgan
August 18, 2011 at 8:55 pm
amazing! i like it
August 23, 2011 at 2:43 am
Sooo cool! Wonderful lights! Love them!
August 26, 2011 at 8:36 pm
LOVE IT- you are so creative!
August 26, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Thanks for the tutorial! I just made three of my own today! I used punch balloons though (round balloons with strings attached for kids party favors. @ Toys R Us 4 for $2). They’re a lot cheaper and you can blow them up to different sizes! Thanks again!
August 26, 2011 at 9:37 pm
forgot to add…. with the balloons you need to use glue that dries faster and slowly deflate the balloon as soon as possible otherwise its really hard to remove the balloon from the string. I waited too long on my first one and the lantern caved in but all I had to do was blow up another balloon inside of the crumpled lantern and add some more string.
August 27, 2011 at 1:41 am
Kaleigh – Thanks for the tips on round balloons. Email me a pic! I’d love to see your lamps.
August 29, 2011 at 1:10 am
WOW, So cool.
I love this.
September 1, 2011 at 7:00 am
This is fabulous!!! Does hemp string come in colors? A beautiful blue for my daughter’s room – and she can help!
September 5, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Me and my husband are really excited!
We followed the instructions and the results are magnificent!
They are a hit and we’re making them now on request for the family!!
Thanks for sharing your idea’s!
September 11, 2011 at 10:51 pm
great work, i will make my own.
and great website
September 19, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Love your blog! Can’t wait to make a few of these shades for my home!!!
September 27, 2011 at 4:28 pm
This is awesome!!! I’m working on plans for my new design space and this will be there in some fashion! Thank you for the inspiration, I’m a new fan!!!
September 29, 2011 at 6:59 am
I have 6 fluorescent lights in my photography studio ( 48” 2 light utility ceiling lights). Do you think this would work to cover them, because to buy those plastic covers ($48.00 each at lowe) is very expensive. I’m not sure what I could use as the base, maybe chicken wire? Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks Sharron
September 30, 2011 at 9:43 am
Sharron – I would not recommend hemp lamp shades in a photography studio because they create light patterns as the light filters through the strings. You’re better off with white plastic covers that disperse the light evenly. If you can afford the ones at Lowe’s, they’re probably a good investment for a photography studio. Best of luck to you!
September 30, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Please HELP!!!!!!!!!!! I need to know how to remove the excess of glue that remains stick to hemp when deflated the ball???? I am sorry with my english
September 30, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Anan – Read the other comments people have left about this issue. Many readers said the only way to remove the excess glue is to pick it off by hand. If this was your first hemp pendant, maybe try being less sloppy with your glue application on the next one? Good luck!
October 10, 2011 at 8:40 am
que bueno!! ame esta idea pero es media complicada jaja
October 25, 2011 at 1:25 pm
I’m also wondering if anyone figured out how to get rid of the smell! It smells like Cow manure, but they sure look pretty!
October 28, 2011 at 10:24 am
What a great idea! I have the perfect place for this!!!
November 2, 2011 at 9:00 pm
One quick question. Do you keep the string all as one long piece or do you cut strips to wrap around the ball?? Also do i keep an opening at the bottom and the top??
This is an amazing project thank you so much for sharing!
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November 2, 2011 at 9:43 pm
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[...] Tutorial [...]
November 7, 2011 at 11:57 pm
I would spend a lot of money for something like this only to find out I can make it myself. That makes it ten times better!! I wish i had a crafty bone in my body to come up with something like this. Until I find that bone I’ll take this idea for myself! Love it!
November 11, 2011 at 12:18 am
Wow! this is really amazing, i never thought making such beautiful lampshades would be so easy. I think even my 9 year old would love to make this, she is always watching CeeBeeBies for such beautiful & easy to make decorating pieces for her room! Thank you sooooo much for posting it!!!
November 11, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Super idea. Thinking of doing some for Christmas and spray painting them to hang outside using Christmas lights with the opening on top…thinking out loud here. Also, about the glue…how bout a zip lock bag and making two small holes on either side of the bag to run the yarn through and put the glue in the baggie. That way the excess would come off the yarn as you pull it through the opposite side? Again, thinking out loud. I’m gonna try!
November 11, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Donna Jones – You stole my idea for a Christmas-light version! But no need for spray paint. Use white or colored string instead.
November 13, 2011 at 3:36 pm
I always wondered how this was done, thanks so much for posting…Black and White will look very nice-and beige and browns will go great in any decor! Love this…
C.Chic.
November 21, 2011 at 3:16 pm
I am looking to make a hemp pendant lamp for the outdoors. Will tacking glue still work? Also, I am making little ones, and making a string on them so I am using the lights that go into christmas villages and am wondering if anyone knows if those are weather safe too.
November 28, 2011 at 10:15 pm
I am wanting to make some of these for my grandparents to hang out by their pool. I was thinking though, that they would come undone when it rains??
November 29, 2011 at 11:41 am
shayna – Probably. I don’t think the glue is waterproof.
November 30, 2011 at 8:05 am
Shayna-the glue they say on here isn’t waterproof, but I believe there is glue that is water proof or something like that. just research it and read the labels. if it is waterproof it is weather resistant.
December 2, 2011 at 4:05 pm
These are lovely! How possible do you you think it would be to use yarn for these? Would it be strong enough once dry? Would I be better off spray painting the hemp?
2 DIY Lace Lighting Projects: A Doily Lamp and Ceiling Lights | Lights and Lights said,
December 3, 2011 at 1:13 pm
[...] second project uses lace to create DIY ceiling lights. Follow the steps here on how hemp lights were created, using clear drying glue to harden the hemp twine, that was wrapped [...]
December 3, 2011 at 3:27 pm
ashley – I think yarn would be lovely. Give it a try! It should hold up just fine.
December 4, 2011 at 11:39 am
I made three of these with the hemp twine and they turned out amazing! My sister wanted one after seeing mine, but she wanted white. White hemp twine is really expensive so we used 100% cotton white yarn and it worked great!
December 4, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Love the idea, will be a great project to attempt with my tween daughter :) Thanks for sharing.
Feel free to put your ideas on Great or Good Idea to get more visibility and to attract collaborators/investors.
Definitely you have the talent to make something your own!!
All the best.
December 7, 2011 at 12:29 am
I love these! ive seen the done on a DIY tv show except with balloons and yarn and spray starch. very beautiful
December 13, 2011 at 7:25 am
The twine will hang over the balloon?
December 14, 2011 at 1:32 pm
alice – Not sure what you mean. Heika used a bouncy ball, not a balloon to make these. Either way, you remove the ball (or balloon) after the glue has dried, then you hang it.
December 23, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Hey Ladies,
I meant to post this way sooner but work has been crazy. I had the idea that these could be awesome ornaments. You know ..scaled down a bit and then “bedazzled” (whatever that may mean to you). Here is a quick snap shot I took of what I am doing tonight.
I used silver and gold spray paint to make it sparkle. I made another without sparkle but had ribbon winding through it with tiny silver ball beads. I had used a small inflatable ball for the first one but they only come so small so for the one on my blog I used a balloon.
December 25, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Wow…wonderful DIY…going to post as inspiration for a DIY winter wedding. Toooooo cute.
January 4, 2012 at 1:39 am
Those are amazing! Where did you get the hemp string? It is always so expensive and it seems like it would take a lot of string.
January 5, 2012 at 8:31 am
Nicole – Michael’s and Jo-Ann both carry hemp string. If it’s too expensive, sign up on their mailing lists to get coupons.
January 25, 2012 at 12:07 am
I will immediately snatch your rss feed as I can not in finding your email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please let me realize so that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
February 5, 2012 at 11:32 am
These are SO amazing and I really appreciate the great photo illustrated tutorial…. I hope you don’t mind, I just couldn’t help but feature your beautiful pendant lights on my new frugal home blog here:
http://frugal-home-design.blogspot.com/2012/02/gorgeous-diy-and-refurbished.html
Thank you for such an inspirational project :0)
February 8, 2012 at 7:58 pm
LOVE this idea! I’m trying to make this for a school project using battery operated candle or string lights (to avoid the hard-wired electricity) but cannot figure out how to attach the light source and a hanger. Has anyone tried this variation?
February 17, 2012 at 12:54 am
Its just awesome!!
February 21, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Wow..I’m on this. Anyone tried it yet..not sure if I’m crafty enough to do this!
March 5, 2012 at 1:40 pm
So, if I took down my ugly ceiling fan that has the three tulip shape bulb covers down, I could hang ONE large pendant from the electrical that is already there????
March 5, 2012 at 2:29 pm
@Kara The short answer: Yes! The long answer: It all depends on the weight of the new pendant light. If it’s equal to or lighter than the ceiling fan/light, then yes. If it’s heavier than the existing ceiling fan, then a new heavy duty electrical box will need to be installed first. I wouldn’t want to mount a ceiling fan on a 25lb-rated electrical box, go to sleep one night, and have the ceiling fan come crashing down on me in bed!
March 5, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Thanks Troy- I would think the hemp lamp would weigh far less than a ceiling fan, wouldn’t you? :)
March 7, 2012 at 10:25 am
Beautiful! Question: What about other shapes, ie, squares, rectangles, triangles…any ideas on how to make those? Would be cool to display the shapes around the home, filled with either a light or string of lights….
March 12, 2012 at 2:23 am
its great i”m going too make one too. thank you fot the easy to read and with the foto illustration i think it will work. …..
March 18, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Jules – I agree that hemp lamps in other shapes would be great, but I can’t think of a way to execute them. I haven’t seen any square balloons or balls…
March 18, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Kara – Yes, I think so. :) My brother Troy just gave us the long answer for future reference.
March 18, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Do you think that if you took a box and put something like a plastic bag around it and then wrapped the string around it, that would work? I was following the posts here and that idea popped into my head when Monica was talking about hemp lamps in other shapes… I think it could as long as the string wouldn’t stick to the plastic.. what do you guys think?
March 18, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Jamie B – Good thought, but how would you pull out the box after you wrapped it in string? I suppose you could leave one whole side completely open, like a lamp shade. Send me a pic if you try it.
March 18, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Hi Monica.. Yes, I was thinking of leaving one side open so the box and bag could be pulled out of it and that could be the open part of the shade. I may just have to give it a try.. if I do I will definitely send you a pic!
March 19, 2012 at 11:32 am
Looks like my wedding decor is gonna rock!
March 23, 2012 at 4:27 am
I’ve just tried this with a balloon rather than a ball – not a good idea, way messy and the balloon exploded half way through..
As well the hemp that is available where i live is awful (too thick) and couldnt find clear glue so tried white glue and spray glue.. i did a second try with a small balloon to see what happens when it dries.. the disadvantages of living in a small island in the middle of nowhere (cant find stuff!!).. Def will be trying with a ball soon and hopefully thinner hemp.
It really gets messy tho!
Ey if anyone else tried please post some pics and advice :)
Laura
March 26, 2012 at 1:06 pm
this is a super cool project, but be prepared to sit there for hours per ball. I just did one this weekend and it took me over 3 hours to wrap one 14 inch ball! Also, you will need one thing of glue per ball. I used every ounce of my glue for the one ball i did.
March 27, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Can you show me a picture of your ceiling? Curious how to hang them from the ceiling when you group them.
April 16, 2012 at 11:16 am
Love these – you did great work and I completely agree with the above comments that this version is far better than West Elm’s. What light fixture did you use? Also, how far away did you install each light fixture from one another?
April 16, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Alyssa – Heika used a 3-light pendant fitter from Lowe’s. And apparently Lowe’s doesn’t carry ANY pendant fitters anymore. Grrrr.
I searched online and found a few pendant fitters:
Portfolio 3-light Mini Pendant
Single-Light Mini-Pendant Kit
Fredrick Ramond Mini Pendant Fitter
Juno Lighting Bar Pendant Stem Kit
Hope that helps!
April 30, 2012 at 2:08 pm
Loe, love love this idea. Great tutorial, can’t wait to try this. Just wondering if you’ve tried dying the hemp cord. I would like to match a color for my craft room.
Thanks so much for sharing this. Nancy in So Cal
May 1, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Thanx for the great step by step. Just wondering if the heat from the light affects the glue or if there is a clear spray that would work afterwards and adds heat resistance. just a thought.
May 7, 2012 at 7:46 pm
Hi, All of the hemp I have searched for says “ply” on the wrapper, not pounds…. Can anyone tell me what ply I need for these? I seen 1, 2, 3, …… up to 6 ply # 48….. Is the # 48 what I should be looking for it to say #20? or something…. ALSO does anyone know a cheep place to purchase hemp? Its pretty expensive from what I have seen for the quantity needed here… I would REALLY love to make these!!! Thank You!
May 8, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Christine – I purchased my hemp from Michaels craft store for about $4-5 (one roll will make one lantern), you can buy larger ones for around $8 if i remember correctly. Also, Michaels has it labeled as 20lb and 40lb.
May 19, 2012 at 12:35 am
So you could reuse these rubber balls right? I live in China and would need my parents to send them from the States probably, so I wouldn’t want to kill the balls after one use!
May 21, 2012 at 11:00 am
can i do it with a ballon???:)
June 2, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Amazing great tutorial!
Jewelry Rage
June 10, 2012 at 6:01 am
Great tutorial! Thanks for share it!
July 4, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Very clear instructions! Love this tutorial!
July 14, 2012 at 6:17 pm
We used to do something similar with blow up punching balls..they are round and very sturdy.
July 21, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Bonjour et un énorme MERCI pour ce partage, si bien expliqué. Merveilleuse réalisation. Bravo. Vi
July 25, 2012 at 11:05 am
Thanks for the great instructions. I followed them exactly and my shade turned out fantastic! The one thing I wish I had done was to mark the exact spot for the cord to come through the top. The shade hangs just a wee bit off center. Everyone tells me I’m being over critical but I know it’s just a bit off. No worries, I’ll remember for next time! Thanks again.
August 17, 2012 at 3:56 am
this is the most creative as well as cost effective arty shades.I love them
August 19, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Has anyone tried doing a single lamp? Does it look funky all alone? I have a horrible lamp at my room in school i want to replace so I only have wiring for one lamp and am worried of doing three when that one already exists and is in the center of the room.
August 19, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Hi! LOVE, love, LOVE the tutorial AND the way it looks. I, too, hung mine a *bit* of center but can correct that. My only issue is the SMELL. Ick. Does the *toxic* hemp smell go away?
September 9, 2012 at 10:24 pm
I used twine… not done yet but I hope it looks as good as yours!
September 24, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Those are awesome! I did one and used it just for table decor — you can see it here!
http://teawithbri.blogspot.ca/2012/09/diy-hemp-lamp-shade.html
September 26, 2012 at 9:22 am
Hey, has anyone ever tried covering the ball with a different material? I want a soft light for our nursery so I was thinking of covering it with felt.
Any input?
Thanks a bunch!
November 4, 2012 at 4:23 am
Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m
thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring
blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for first-time blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it.
November 5, 2012 at 4:29 pm
great job thank you for the tutorial
i want to try this but i didn’t find a natural hemp string i found a 100 °/. plyster hemp
can i use it?
November 17, 2012 at 7:51 am
I savour, result in I discovered exactly what I used to be having
a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
November 25, 2012 at 3:54 pm
so I am way late to this post. Do you think you could use craft glue on the ball and make these laterns out of Lace. I tried doing it with starch but it didn’t hold up.
December 6, 2012 at 10:49 am
Love these lamps! How bright would they be? I realize it’s the wattage of the bulbs and amount of hemp. But I like the amount of hemp just as it’s made here. We’re planning on putting them over our kitchen table for newspaper reading/puzzles. My bf’s not sure if it would be bright enough. Any ideas?
December 22, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Looking in Google raised your website – I’m delighted it did, many thanks.
December 26, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Beautiful work indeed…simple, but elegant & cost effective
January 1, 2013 at 4:28 am
I just found this on Pinterest and love the look. And it looks like something I can do! I’ve been wanting to recreate the look of the tall floor lamps from Ikea. If I cover a concrete form with waxed paper, do you think I’d have trouble getting the shape off after the glue dries? The forms are about 8″ across and I’d like to make it about 4′ tall. Not sure what kind of base or lamp fixture I would use…heck at this point if it worked, it would make a great sculpture in the corner!
January 26, 2013 at 11:43 am
I have made this and used hanging lamp kit for a paper lantern from Pier 1 imports. It cost was $10. And I also used 36 in balloons from partycity, 6 for 11.
February 11, 2013 at 7:35 am
I needed a lot of hemp for my DIY wedding projects and the least expensive webiste I found was:
http://www.hemptraders.com/
I ordered 25 of the chocolate brown and I’m very happy with them.
March 11, 2013 at 8:58 pm
could this be done using balloons you could pop after the glue dries instead?
May 4, 2013 at 7:05 am
Can you take a picture of the top of the pendant? I am confused as to how the light is in the lamp. I have the one from west elm and love it. But I want a another. I just don’t understand ho the bulb ill be suspended in the lamp. Thanks
May 4, 2013 at 3:54 pm
You can you a beach ball if you don’t have a needle for deflating the ball.
May 5, 2013 at 3:38 pm
Emilee – Yes, of course, assuming you can find round balloons.
May 5, 2013 at 3:40 pm
cameron – I didn’t make these pendants. A guest blogger did. Sorry I cannot take a picture for you.
May 5, 2013 at 4:06 pm
I used a small yoga ball (the purple ones from walmart for $5). However, I didn’t attach a standard light bulb. I got the brown wire string lights and weaved them thru the ball once it was done. Came out beautiful and I’m doing 25 of those to hang from the ceiling at my wedding.
May 8, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Lisa – Sounds beautiful! Please send me a picture. I’ll share it here. monica (at) craftynest (dot) com