Hello again! If you have been following along, you know we created a string pendant lamp in our most recent room design post and we left it to dry. We were supposed to wait 24 hours to remove the beach ball and reveal the design but life happened so our 24 hours turned into 96 hours! I know... but hey, it wasn't going anywhere, right? Besides, we had a lamp cord to macrame.
(for a list of our upcoming projects, click HERE)
This lamp cord was not only going to be macrame but also have a peach ombre dye. So I got my supplies together:
We have vaulted ceilings in our home but the ceiling height where this lamp was going to hang is the average 9-feet high. Since this will be a swag lamp, I needed it to go up from the top of the lamp we were creating, then up to the ceiling and back down to floor and over to the electrical outlet. A total of about 20 feet. The IKEA lamp kit is about 15-feet. Therefore, I added an extension cord (not pictured) to make this happen.
As stated, we went with the more modern looking cord kit at IKEA. For $5 each, you just can't go wrong. And although they are modern-ish, we still felt it was kind of ugly as it was. And we are also not huge fans of cords running through chains. In my search for a cool new idea, I decided to channel the 70s when my grandmother, aunts and mom used get together and macrame their hearts out. Then, I came across THIS macrame tutorial on tying a spiral knot. I simply used the cord as my two inner ropes.
1. The first step was to get this rope braided. I was so proud of myself. Once I got the hang of it, I was a macrame-ing machine! Still, in all it took me 5-6 hours total to get the cord braided.
2. Next, it was time to dip dye the cord to give it an ombre effect. I used a sandwich bag to place over the electrical plug and taped it tightly shut with duct tape. Mixing together hot water, a 1/4 cup of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of RIT dye in Tangerine, I immersed the cord for the length I wanted the color to go up and immediately removed it. Then I dipped the middle for about 60 additional seconds and the bottom for another 30-40 seconds. That was all it took. That dye is pretty powerful. Outside it went to dry. It came out pretty cool!
3. And now... the moment we've all been (or at least my daughter was) totally waiting for... removing the beach ball! We deflated the beach ball and then realized that the beach ball was not the best choice. Given the chance to make this again, I would probably use a balloon or a punchball so I could puncture it with a pair of scissors and yank it right on out! Since the beach ball was covered in vaseline, it was hard to grasp and deflate. We had to work hard to get it out of the string ball but hey... hindsight is 20/20.
(for a list of our upcoming projects, click HERE)
This lamp cord was not only going to be macrame but also have a peach ombre dye. So I got my supplies together:
We have vaulted ceilings in our home but the ceiling height where this lamp was going to hang is the average 9-feet high. Since this will be a swag lamp, I needed it to go up from the top of the lamp we were creating, then up to the ceiling and back down to floor and over to the electrical outlet. A total of about 20 feet. The IKEA lamp kit is about 15-feet. Therefore, I added an extension cord (not pictured) to make this happen.
As stated, we went with the more modern looking cord kit at IKEA. For $5 each, you just can't go wrong. And although they are modern-ish, we still felt it was kind of ugly as it was. And we are also not huge fans of cords running through chains. In my search for a cool new idea, I decided to channel the 70s when my grandmother, aunts and mom used get together and macrame their hearts out. Then, I came across THIS macrame tutorial on tying a spiral knot. I simply used the cord as my two inner ropes.
2. Next, it was time to dip dye the cord to give it an ombre effect. I used a sandwich bag to place over the electrical plug and taped it tightly shut with duct tape. Mixing together hot water, a 1/4 cup of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of RIT dye in Tangerine, I immersed the cord for the length I wanted the color to go up and immediately removed it. Then I dipped the middle for about 60 additional seconds and the bottom for another 30-40 seconds. That was all it took. That dye is pretty powerful. Outside it went to dry. It came out pretty cool!
I used an old toothbrush to clear out some of the dried glue mixture that didn't break free with the ball. Then, I outfitted the cord kit with a clear plastic food container (you know the ones you put salsa in to-go at the restaurants). I cut the bottom off and placed that on the lamp kit to give it a little more width and ensure the lamp kit wouldn't slip through the lamp later on down the road. I totally forgot to take a pic for you but if you have questions about it, please ask. I am happy to answer you in the comments below.
We hung that bad boy up with ceiling hooks and felt the awesomeness because we did something totally rad! (decided to go back and paint those ceiling hooks white soon).
Of course next comes the big, payoff, moment-of-truth when you plug in your awesome string pendant lamp masterpiece and HALLE-LOO! The design angels rejoice!
Next up we plan create a DIY Dreamcatcher for her wall. Stay tuned...
xoxo
