FLOWER LIGHTS

This project is largely inspired by the plantoids seen at Burning man in 2018, but in a more modest version and accessible to all.

Supplies

Old garden or solar lamp with a globe

Color changing light bulb

Colorful mesh fabric

Rigid wire

Plywood or particleboard

Metal shims

Electric cable and male plug

Neoprene glue

Wire connector

PVC tube

Step 1: CUT THE LAMP ROD

Use a hacksaw to separate the lamp rod from its globe holder without damaging the electrical wires running inside.

Step 2: CREATE a STAND FOR THE PETALS

Measure the outside diameter of the lamp globe holder.

Report the measurement onto a plywood board by drawing a first circle with the same diameter.

Then draw a second larger circle.

Cut the ring between the 2 lines with a jig saw or like me with a hand saw, a drill and a utility knife.

Check the fit on the globe holder.

Step 3: SHAPE THE PETALS

Take a piece of wire and bend its extremity.

Secure it to a board by screwing a metal shim on top of it Then measure a length of wire, in my case 1 meter (a little over 3ft) and bend it there.

Secure the bend to the board with another metal shim next to the first.

Repeat the operation as many times as there are petals: 6 in my case, so 6 meters of wire for a flower (about 19 to 20ft) .

For the last petal, connect the two extremities of the wire by covering them with neoprene glue and inserting them into a small piece of plastic hose tube.

Then bend the petals to the desired shape.

Step 4: ATTACH THE PETALS TO THE RING STAND

Unscrew the shims from the board one by one and put them back with the wire on the ring stand.

We now have the corolla of our flower.

You can paint the ring stand and the wire with white paint or fluorescent paint.

Step 5: COVER THE PETALS WITH COLORS

Lay the fabric on a petal and cut it to the petal shape, leaving a little margin for gluing.

Safety pins can be used to hold the fabric in place.

Put neoprene glue on both sides of the petal wire and fold the fabric over the wire.

You can play with the colors by putting two layers of fabric.

Step 6: CREATE THE FLOWER STEM AND CONNECT IT

The flower stem is made of PVC pipe.

Guide a power cable thru the pipe (any cable taken from an old household appliance will do)

Connect the power cable to the lamp wires using a wire connector.

Insert the lamp into the newly created stem.

Screw the bulb into the socket.

Screw the globe back to the globe holder

Step 7: SWITCHING IT ON

Plug each flower’s power cable into an outlet.

With the remote control you can choose a flash or smooth mode for the color change.

If you don’t want all your flowers to blink in sync, simply plug them in separately – or one after the other