Introduction: $1 Teddy Bear Lamp

To make this $1 Lamp, you will need the following materials:

Starbucks' or any coffee tray that is recyclable

Scissors or a blender

A bucket

Fan

Foam

An old cardboard box

Wooden Dowels

Elmer's Glue

Water

Hot Glue

Gorilla Glue

$1 Christmas Lights

Step 1: Step 1: Coffee Trays Into Pieces

Using a scissor or blender (to save a lot of time) make the coffee trays into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the better, as they will mold better when put into papier machë.

Step 2: Step 2: the Making of the Machë

Mix the pieces of the coffee tray with glue and water, until you get a sticky and not too watery consistency. You should end up getting clumps of the papier machë rather than making it seem more like liquid.

Step 3: Step 3: Forming the Teddy Bear

The teddy bear lamp should have multiple layers of the papier machë, or the inside might not ever completely dry. On an old cardboard box, lay out the bottom layer of the teddy bear using the papier machë. Use a fan and leave it overnight to dry. Once it hardens, you will notice that the color of the tray gets much darker than when it was wet.

Step 4: Step 4: Adding More Layers

Add more layers to the teddy bear. Add the arms and create the backside, but make sure to add a hole in the back so that the lights and the dowel could fit through. Again using the fan, leave it to dry overnight or until it completely hardens.

Step 5: Step 5: Creating the Light Source

Using the Christmas lights, repeatedly wrap each light around a medium-sized dowel and glue it down with hot glue or gorilla glue until you get something that is similar to what will look like a single light source. Then the remaining parts of the lights wrap around the bottom part of the dowel. Make sure the light source is able to sit inside the teddy bear.

Step 6: Step 6: Lamp Shade

Create a rectangular-prism shaped lamp shade using the foam. Cut the sides evenly and glue them into place with a hot glue gun.

Step 7: Step 7: Keeping the Lamp Stable

To keep the lamp shade stable, drill small holes on opposite directions of the dowel, on different heights. Stick smaller dowels into the holes and make sure their lengths are enough to poke a hole into the foam but not all the way through. Then use the hot glue gun to keep all the holes in place in the foam and in the dowel.

Step 8: Step 8: Build Up More

Build up the teddy bear's layers even more

Step 9: Step 9: Finish It Up

Hot glue the inside of the medium-sized dowel into place onto the bottom of the teddy bear. Using the papier machë, finish up the sides of the opened wall on the back. Use a fan to dry overnight.

Step 10: Step 10: Test

You're done and all you need to do is test it out