I always liked the glow of indirect lighting. I did not like how expensive they seemed to be. Thus, doing what any DIY person would do, I made my own.

Supplies

Supplies:

A plank of pallet wood

Grafter's tape

A string of lights (Christmas lights work)

Rope/paracord/shoe string for hanging

Hooks to hang off of

Extension cord

Tools:

Drill with bits

Hot Glue Gun (with glue sticks)

Step 1: Prepare the Board

My board was long and ruff so I sanded mine down on the side people would see, and then I gave it one coat of white paint. I also drilled 1/4 holes on the ends to eventually put the rope/paracord/shoe string through.

After the paint was dry I flipped the board over and put the grafter's tape on the side that would face up. This tape is aluminum foil with one side sticky, and once you stick it to something don't even think about moving it because you won't be able to. I smoothed down the grafter's tape onto the wood.

Step 2: Glue the Lights

With your hot glue gun hot now you put down a glob of glue and stick the strand of light to it. I usually made a contact point every six to ten inches. It doesn't have to be pretty since no one will see it. My only advice to this is to start with the plug at one end, and be patient for the glue to cool down.

Step 3: Hanging

The ideal distance for indirect lighting from a white ceiling is six to twelve inches, so plan your rope/paracord/shoe string accordingly. I used hooks to put the light where I wanted, and had the extension cord close enough to not be an issue.

Step 4: Light Up

One pallet board indirect light will not light up an entire room, but it will give you a comfortable glow so it is not overly blinding when wanting to play video games, or just see what you are doing in the morning. The nice thing is if you use Christmas lights, you can link up to three strands together and get some decent illumination. I'm working on mine.