Making a Plastic Cup Contemporary Light

Category Decor

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - finished light in a dark room

Left over plastic cups, Christmas lights, a stapler, and a drill are all you need to make this contemporary light. The multicolored lights provide a fun visual effect.

Solutions

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Plastic Cup Contemporary Light

By attosa [1,228 Posts, 5,310 Comments]

November 27, 2018

My friends went away on holiday and came back to find hundreds of Solo cups, and the remnants of what looked like a huge party, scattered about their house. There was no permission given for this blowout, of course. I thought I could help lighten things up (in two ways) by making them this decorative light with some of the cups. It was a very welcome gift, and a good laugh. Try this out if you've got some extra cups!

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 1 big light

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - Solo cup light

Supplies:

30+ Solo cups
drill with 11/32" drill bit
strung Christmas lights
stapler

Steps:

Drill a hole in the center of the bottom of a cup.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - drill a hole in the center bottom of a cup

Poke a Christmas light through just to make sure it's a good fit. You want it to just poke through without it being too loose, as not to let them slip off. Continue drilling holes in the rest of the cups.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - check fit size with a mini light

Staple 2 cups side by side, making sure one of the cup's lip is just over the other cup's.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - staple two cups together with the lip of one up over the other

Now staple another one next to the other, staggering the cup lips again. They should eventually stagger over, under, over, under, etc.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - repeat staggering as you go

You can make this as big as you like, but my lower level was just a crescent made of 8 cups. Start stapling on another level on top of, remembering to stagger the lips.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - first ring of 8 cups, adding the next level

Go all the way across, stapling the cups to the ones below and the ones to their sides.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - staple cups to the ones below and the ones next to them

Keep going up and across until it starts turning into a ball. You'll start using less cups the higher you get.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - continue going up and across making a half ball shape

When you're happy with the shape (I stopped when it was a hemisphere), turn it over and begin poking the Christmas light bulbs through the holes.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - push the lights through the holes

It will look better if you don't put the same colour bulbs in side-by-side. Plug in the lights and enjoy the glow.

Plastic Cup Contemporary Light - try to stagger light colors, plug in and enjoy

It's much more dramatic in the dark!

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