DIY & Crafts: Valentine Lightbulb

Every year for Valentine's day, I try to make something instead or in addition to the usual gifts.  For this year, I've had my mind set on doing this diy lightbulb project ever since I saw it on Pinterest over a year ago. I remember thinking back then that it seemed a bit complicated and dangerous, but it looked so darn cute that I just had to try it this time.  After completing it, I have to say that it wasn't as hard as I initially feared.  Yes, you do have to be careful since there's lots of little sharp glass bits to work with, but with proper safety goggles and gloves on, removing the filament of the bulb (hardest part of the project) went without a hitch.  I used this tutorial from Design Sponge, which also gives you a link to TeamDroid for a separate tutorial on how to clean out the lightbulb. Here are some of the pictures to show the steps. I didn't bother including any of how I cleaned out the bulb since the above tutorial shows it in great detail--just follow their instructions, go slow and don't forget the safety precautions.

to add the wire sculpture, I drilled a tiny hole in the cube and secured it with a little silicone adhesive. I got both the wooden cube and the wire from Michaels. 

I printed out a few with different fonts.

I used brads for a decorative touch. Add the brads to the paper strip first then glue the whole thing to the cube.

use strong clear adhesive to affix the lightbulb to the cube and wait for it to fully cure before handling it.

After 48 hours for the glue to set and it's ready!

incandescent lighbulbs are almost vintage nowadays, aren't they? 

It's a neat little project and definitely makes a very unique gift! I've always liked the shape of a lightbulb and wished I could somehow reuse an old bulb whenever I had to throw one out, and now I'm wondering what else I could turn it into to--maybe a planetarium or a snow globe?