Woman Turns Leftover Craft Supplies Into Adorable And Colorful Fairy Lights

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Who doesn't love fairy lights? The simple strands are perfect for lighting up a mantle, brightening up a corner, or incorporating into about a million different craft projects. Decorating with fairy lights is also an extremely inexpensive option compared to installing new light fixtures or investing in lamps. Although you can find color-changing strands, fairy lights tend to look pretty in plain white. While you could splurge on high-end versions that incorporate sparkly beads and baubles, one YouTuber discovered an easy DIY that turns leftover craft supplies into adorable and colorful fairy lights. Hermione Chantal used beads, paillettes, and other finds from her supply stash to take an inexpensive strand from simple to stunning.

To make your own one-of-a-kind fairy lights, you'll need to start with the right strand to ensure this clever lighting hack brings depth and warmth to your room. The look works best when it's light and whimsical, so skip the string lights with their heavy coated wire that offers far less flexibility. Instead, choose a strand like the Hoolamady LED Fairy Lights from Amazon. A clustered strand is ideal because each tiny bulb at the end of its thin wire can be manipulated to highlight your various adornments with ease. Your chosen strand can either be battery-powered or plugged in, and the perfect wire and bulb color choice is entirely up to you. While this DIY project is beginner-friendly, it can be fiddly and time-consuming, something to keep in mind when selecting the right strand length. 

The other must-have material for this adorable and colorful fairy light project is a selection of small baubles. To keep the overall cost low, Hermione Chantal raided her leftover craft supplies for buttons, sequins, beads, and a few decorative wire stars. Cluster fairy lights have thin wire that can be unwound enough to thread elements directly onto it. You can also use inexpensive metal jump rings, small wire hoops found in the jewelry-making section of your local craft store, to attach items that are too big or heavy to hold with wrapped wire alone. 

The process itself is extremely simple. Thread each bauble through an individual wire strand, creating a small loop before re-twisting the wire to secure the item into place. Jump rings can be slightly opened using a pair of needle-nose or jewelry pliers to accommodate larger items before being threaded around the strand itself and closed back together.

There are a few things to bear in mind while picking out and arranging your decorative bits and bobs. Do you plan to use the finished strand to make your front porch look dreamier? Along with making sure the strand itself is rated for outdoor use, opt for painted or plastic beads and buttons instead of  more fragile elements that will fade or crack in harsh weather. No matter where you plan to use your fairy lights, always hang heavier elements using jump rings to avoid stressing the super thin wire. The composition and arrangement of elements is entirely up to you. But taking a playful and random approach will make this DIY quicker and more fun than trying to create a perfect pattern or sequence.