How to make light pendants 

Jazz up your dining room – or any room of your choice – with these stylish twine light fittings!

MATERIALS:
· Cold glue
· Corn starch (Maizena)
· Balloons
· Sisal twine
· Light fittings with electrical cord
· Light bulbs

TOOLS:
· Bowl
· Spoon
· Paintbrush
· Pin

STEP 1
Make a glue-and-starch mixture (2 parts glue; 2 parts corn starch; 1 part water) in a bowl. The measurements don’t have to be exact – you’re aiming for a paintable mixture. Mix with a spoon – you can make a big batch or mix smaller batches as you go.

STEP 2
Blow up the balloons and tie them tightly.

STEP 3
Dip the twine in the glue mixture then wrap the balloon with it in a criss-cross fashion. It’s a bit slippery to begin with but it becomes easier once you get the hang of it.

STEP 4
Once the balloon is wrapped to your liking – it can be densely covered or have bigger spaces in between – reposition the twine at the base of the balloon to make a gap big enough for a light bulb to fit through.

STEP 5
Use a paintbrush to paint some of the mixture over the twine.

STEP 6
Hang the balloon up to dry out for 24 hours.

STEP 7
Once the twine has dried completely, pierce the balloon with a pin. Remove the balloon from the inside of the pendant and any ‘skin’ that has formed between the twine.

STEP 8
Insert the light fitting through the base of your pendant. Screw in the light bulb (use an energy-saving bulb that stays cool, posing no fire risk to the twine cover). Hang up the pendant.