Saturday, July 26, 2025

Lotus Flower Style Veneer Lamp

     , ,  17 comments

                                                                            

Hello and Welcome to the 'Do It Over' Designers Blog Hop!!  In case you haven't heard, the "Do It Over Designers" is a group of creative bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/ DIY, hosted by Anne @The Apple Street Cottage. It happens the 4th Saturday of every other month and it's all about taking something old and/or unused and 'doing it over' into something new. Once in a while, Anne will choose a theme for us to do over. This month it's Lighting! Thanks Anne for hosting this wonderful blog hop!

 

Wood veneer edge banding is usually used as an edge wood trim to cover exposed edges of furniture, cabinet doors, drawer fronts, shelves, etc. But the fun part for this 'Do It Over' project is using a very unconventional color style of the wood veneer edge band strips - one with a rainbow color painting on the band instead of the usual wood tones.  So for this month's 'Do Over' I'm going to shape the colorful wood veneer strips into a lotus flower style and add a light source in the middle for the lamp! Sounds cool doesn't it? I'm really excited about making the edging into a light source instead of using it to cover furniture edges! 

So let's get started!

Supplies:
Disclosure I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, this post may contain links. I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you! Plus Google Adsense provides a platform for me to monetize my content by hosting ads from Google's network of advertisers. The money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

                                                                     

How To:

There are two parts to my lotus flower style veneer lamp - a small flower with 6 1/2" long veneer strips and a larger flower with 8 1/2" strips. Both sizes will be using a wood circle disc about four inches in diameter for the center. 
First, to help keep the veneer strips placement as even as possible,  using a ruler and pencil, divide the wood circle into four sections.  Starting at the 12 o'clock position, draw a line down to the 6 o'clock position. Then draw another line from the 9 o'clock position over to the 3 o'clock position. 

Next, cut out sixteen, 8 1/2" long strips of colorful wood veneer. There is a right side that shows the colorful wood design. And a wrong side which is rough and actually has glue embedded on it.

After cutting out the sixteen strips, using a ruler and pencil, measure 1/2" from the end of each strip and draw a line. Then turn the strip over to the wrong side and on the opposite end draw another line at the 1/2" mark. 

Begin gluing on each strip using the lines on the wood circle and the right side line on each strip as a placement guide on the .  .  .


12 to 6, and the 9 to 3 lines.

and then, glue on three strips in between each one the same way.

Continue gluing on the strips, matching the lines of the strips to the circle edge. 
Once all the strips are glued on, turn the wood disc over and .  .  .
take a strip in one hand and count three strips over and glue that strip together on the end with the strip in your hand. This will be your first "petal".
                                                                                

From the left strip that has been glued together, take the strip to the right of it and glue this strip together with the third strip on the left.

Continue gluing the strips together on the left - from the glued together left strip, take the strip to the right of it and glue this strip together with the third strip on the left. Continue going around the disc until all the strips are glued together as petals forming a lotus flower shape.


The petals are arranged in a symmetrical, overlapping pattern, creating a full, elegant lotus flower style.


The wood circle disc needs to be covered with strips of veneer to enhance the total look! *In hindsight, I should have covered the opposite side of the round disc with veneer strips before gluing on the sixteen strips. It would have been easier to trim and so much neater, too.


Once the strips are glued onto the wood circle, cut off the excess strips around the wood circle edge .  .  .


 The wood circle disc looks so much better covered in veneer!


For the smaller flower, veneer strips were glued on first to the wood disc (not shown) and then the excess overhang was cut off following the circle edge.
                           


 Then the 6 1/2" veneer strips were glued on, like before, and shaped into a lotus flower.

The two finished lotus flowers - side by side: 

Add glue to the disc in the center of the larger lotus flower, and then placing the smaller lotus flower inside the larger flower -  making sure to stagger the petals between the larger and smaller flower.

And finally, place the LED light in the center and .  .  .

enjoy the different lighting colors using the remote .  .  .


to set your decorative mood!



I hope you enjoyed my "Do Over" veneer strips lighting project! 

Before you leave, don't forget this is a blog hop and the team has some amazing upcycle/recycle/do-it-over Lighting projects to share with you.

Be sure to visit all of this month's creative projects by the  "Do It Over Designers"  listed below:

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Handmade Nylon Iris Flowers

     ,  8 comments

The Iris is one of my favorite flowers. In Greek mythology, Iris is the Goddess of the Rainbow. Iris, is from the Greek word for "rainbow' and is aptly named because of the variety of flower colors available. I love that it comes in a variety of colors including purple - my favorite color! Do you know that the color purple symbolizes royalty, nobility, dignity, wisdom, spirituality, imagination and creativity? Wow! Can you believe creativity is included? I've created lots of flowers out of paper, foam, burlap, ribbon, pinecones, plastic, clay, beads, wire, hot glue, floss, cork, and cans. So I decided to make my newest flower project out of nylon! You know the kind of nylon that stockings are made of! I haven't worn stockings in a very long, long time - but I digress, lol! 

Hello and Welcome to this month's version of our Creative Craft Hop! I'm so glad you're here! We have two wonderful hosts - Sara @Birdz of a Feather  and  Donna @Modern on Monticello  who take turns every other month! The talented and creative Sara is our host this month!  


If you're visiting from Donna @Modern on Monticello,  wasn't her Harry Potter Flying Key ornament adorable! At the end of my post, you'll be directed to the next Creative Crafter - Sara, sharing her cool Circle Earrings! And be sure to check out all the creative crafters for lots of fabulous ideas!

So let's begin with what you'll need to make a Nylon Iris Flower!

Supplies:
Disclosure I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, this post may contain links. I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you! The affiliate money I earn helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

How to:

The showy blooms of the iris are usually in three distinctive layers of three petals from small, medium to large. So start with the small petals first and use floral wire (24, 22, and 18 gauge - the smaller the gauge number, the thicker the wire) to make the petals.
 Use a small round object like a bottle or jar to wrap the wire around. Here, I'm using a jar with diameter of 6" for the small petals. Twist the wire a few times and cut the wire at the base using wire cutters. You will need wires for six upright petals - small (internal), medium - and three downward or drooping petals imitating the structure of a real iris flower.
 Make three petals for each layer. 
Medium - 8"

Large - 11"
Since the petals on the lower level are slightly elongated, I use a smaller jar inside the wire tip to pull on the wire to make it a bit of a pear shape.
Nine petal frames:
Nylons stocking material to wrap around the petal rings.

To cover the rings, take the ends of a nylon in the color you want, stretching the material over the wire frame, making sure the fabric is smooth and tightly stretched. It was easier for me to pull down the back first since that's where the excess fabric is and then pull the front down together. Secure the nylon tightly at the base of the petal with matching thread wrapping and knotting it several times to prevent it from coming loose.

             

Trim away excess nylon fabric using scissors.



Use green floral tape to cover the thread, fabric and wire.



First layer (small), called standards.
Second layer (medium) of standards - which actually surround the first layer.

Third layer of downward facing petals (falls) 
Repeat the same steps for making these as before.


Since the first set of small petals were white, I decided to add a bit of color to blend in with the shade of the larger petals using transparent glass paint. 
I thought it was a great match and blended in so well!

To assemble the iris flower:
Arrange the smaller petals .  .  .
securing them with floral tape.
Then arrange the medium size petals evenly around the first layer.

Once satisfied with the look, arrange the larger petals (third layer) bending them downward at the base of the flower. Use floral tape to secure all three layers together. Then use your fingers or small rod shapes to gently curve and shape the petals to resemble the natural form of the iris flower.
    

Add additional stem wires to lengthen the flower and wrap the entire stems with green floral tape - from the base of the flower down to the end.

                     
To make the petals, fold a stem wire into a petal shape and secure with wire. You can also squeeze the top of  large circular frame with your hands to mold it into an oval shape, mimicking a leaf.

                

Use green nylon stocking to stretch it over the oval wire frame and secure with wire or green thread.


To make a iris bud, take a tissue and .  .  .

fold several times to create a small bud. 

I used a small amount of water to shape the tissue into a bud and then inserted the stem wire. Let dry.

Once dry, cover the bud with a piece of nylon in the same color as the larger petals (falls) securing with thread and floral tape.

Assemble petals and bud with additional floral tape for a 
stunning iris flower look!





I hope you enjoyed how I made these colorful handmade nylon Iris flowers!
Up next is Sara @Birdz of a Feather, our awesome host for this month, sharing her gorgeous Circle Earrings!  Be sure to check Sara's post out and all the creative crafters' projects listed below: