driftwood pendant light shade

Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Creating a Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Driftwood Lamp Shade

An easy way to make a driftwood pendant light shade that will stretch to go over a glass shade of various sizes.   The secret is simply using “stretch” bead and jewelry cord purchased from Michaels or from Amazon BEADNOVA 1mm Clear Elastic Stretch Jewelry Roll.

If the top of the glass shade is narrower than the bottom – you can tighten the driftwood row at the top and leave the bottom looser.  However, you don’t want to use a shade with more than a 2-3 inch circumference difference between the top and the bottom.  Having said that, a creative mind could easily create two separate rings of driftwood one to fit around the top and the other to fit the bottom.

driftwood pendant light

Materials You Will Need:

  • 1mm Clear Stretch Beading or Jewelry Cording
  • Drill
  • 1/8″ drill bit
  • Pendant Light Shade to be covered
  • Driftwood Pieces preferably 1/2″ or more round, and straight
  • Pencil to mark drill holes
  • Ruler to measure and mark for drill holes

driftwood lamp shade

 

Marking and Drilling your Driftwood Pendant Light Shade

Creative driftwood candleholders
Place a driftwood piece against your glass shade, figure and mark 2″ from the bottom of your driftwood piece.  Then measure another 2-3″ from the first mark and make a 2nd drill mark.  You want the holes to line up as much as possible on each piece of driftwood. Drill at hole at each mark.

Creative driftwood candleholders

Creative driftwood candleholders

Once your pieces are all drilled, start threading the stretch cord through the holes.  Tie knots about every 4th piece to keep spacing a little more equal when the shade expands. Pull the stretch cord to tighten the rows.

 

Creative driftwood candleholders

Make Your Circle

Occasionally place the driftwood row around the circumference of the glass shade to check the fit.  When you have the row the length you want – tie a final knot or two.  DO NOT CUT THE CORD.  Form a circle with the driftwood row and continue threading the cord through 3 or 4 driftwood pieces from the other end.   Knot the ends.  You can add a little bit of hot glue to the end knots or lightly melt the stretch thread with a match.

driftwood lamp shade

Finally, slide the driftwood over the top of your glass shade and attach the assembly to the hanging rod.

You need not be confined to just using the driftwood on pendant shades – try using the same technique to go over an existing table or reading lampshade.

And don’t forget this stretchy driftwood surround makes a great candleholder or planter. Use them for special events, weddings or just liven up the garden.

driftwood lamp shade
driftwood

If you want to make your own driftwood for this project, check out our tutorial on How to Create your Own Driftwood – it really works.

If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.

Driftwood_plant and candleholders

Creating Expandable Driftwood Candleholders and Plant Holders

Creating Expandable Driftwood Candleholders and Plant Holders

driftwood planter

This is an easy way to make driftwood candleholders and plant holders that will stretch to accommodate different size jars.  Those pretty glass candle jars that you normally throw out after the candle burns down can now become a very pretty driftwood plant holder.  The secret is simply using “stretch” bead and jewelry cord purchased from Michaels or from Amazon BEADNOVA 1mm Clear Elastic Stretch Jewelry Roll.

 

Materials You Will Need:

  • 1mm Clear Stretch Beading or Jewelry Cording
  • Glue Gun
  • Glue Sticks
  • Drill
  • 1/8″ drill bit
  • Glass container
  • Driftwood Pieces preferably 1/2″ or more round, and straight. If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
  • Pencil to mark drill holes
  • Ruler to measure and mark for drill holes

Creative driftwood candleholders

 

Creative driftwood candleholders

Creative driftwood candleholders

 

Creative driftwood candleholders
Place a driftwood piece against your glass container.  Measure 2″ up from the bottom and mark a hole for drilling.  Then measure up another 2-3″ from the first mark and drill a second hole.  You want the holes to line up as much as possible on each piece of driftwood.

Creative driftwood candleholders

Creative driftwood candleholders

Once your pieces are all drilled, just start threading the stretch cord through the holes.  I tied knots about every 4th piece to keep spacing a little more equal when the candleholder expanded but it’s not really necessary. Pull and tighten the driftwood row.

 

Creative driftwood candleholders

Make Your Circle

Occasionally place the driftwood row around the circumference of the glass shade to check the fit.  When you have the row the length you want – tie a final knot or two.  DO NOT CUT THE CORD.  Form a circle with the driftwood row and continue threading the cord through 3 or 4 driftwood pieces from the other end.   Knot the ends.  You can add a little bit of hot glue to the end knots or lightly melt the stretch thread with a match.

If you want to make your own driftwood for this project, check out our tutorial on How to Create your Own Driftwood – it really works.

The simple holders are also great for Using driftwood in a Party or Wedding Theme.

We actually used this same technique to create pendant light shades and they look awesome!  Making driftwood pendant light shades.

Driftwood Planter and candleholder
Driftwood Planter and candleholder

 

Driftwood Candleholder and plant holder

 

Make A Driftwood Sailboat

Make a Driftwood Sailboat

This simple tutorial will show you how to make a Driftwood Sailboat.  It’s actually pretty simple and they make really cute and beachy accents to any room where you want to add a beach or natural weathered wood theme.  They also look great as a juxtaposition to a sleek and modern room where you want to create some unexpected visual interest.

driftwood-sailboat-6b

What you Need to Make Your Driftwood Sailboat:

  • Driftwood piece that is linear shaped.  If you need driftwood pieces, we have driftwood in stock. 2-6″ pieces or 5-12″ pieces.
  • White Embroidery Thread
  • Embroidery Needle
  • Old Handkerchief
  • Singer’s “Fray No More”
  • Dowel or Stick of Driftwood
  • 2 Small Eye Screws
  • Drill
  • Scissors
  • Wood Glue

1.  Select your driftwood piece.

I glued together these two pieces as I thought the smaller looked great on the nose of the sailboat.  You can use a dowel purchased from the hardware store like I did or you can use a driftwood stick.  Since my dowel was too pale, I used Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish to get a weathered wood look on the dowel and I also used it to touch up any areas that may have broken off or where I drilled to keep the weathered wood look.

Driftwood Sailboat

2.  Create Your Driftwood Sailboat Mast.

Cut your dowel or driftwood stick to approximately 12″ although this will depend upon the length of your boat base.  Use your own discretion as to what looks best.  Then drill a hole deep enough in the center of your boat base to hold your mast.

Driftwood Sailboat

3.  Eye Screws.

Insert your eye screws in the boat base at the front and back.  These will be used to hold the sail in place.  On my first sailboat, I actually used glue instead and curled the sails before tacking them in place with glue but on the second sailboat I held the sails in place with the embroidery thread and eye screws.

Driftwood Sailboat

4.  Prepare Your Driftwood Sails.

Layout your sail and cut it to form two sails.  I had discovered an old box filled with and assortment of antique lacy and printed handkerchiefs in the attic which inspired me to do this project.  I just thought they would make such pretty sails and a great decorative focal point especially if I made three.  Here you can see my dowel piece is still a little bit too long for this handkerchief so I either need to cut it shorter or choose a different handkerchief for the sale.

Driftwood Sailboat

 5.  Create Your Sails.

Cut your handkerchief to form two sails.

Driftwood Sailboat

6.  Stop the Fray.

Once you cut your sail, you will want to use “Fray No More” by Singer to stop the edges from fraying.  Just run a bit along each cut edge.

Driftwood Sailboat

7.  Attaching the Mast and Sails

Glue your mast in place.

Use your embroidery thread to attach the sail sections to the mast – first the top and then the bottom.  Then attach the sail to the eye screws in the front and back if you want the sail to stay displayed.  I also starched the handkerchief so they would be nice and stiff.

Driftwood Sailboat

 

See how simple that was?  Now enjoy your sailboat – heck, make a fleet of them!

 

 

 

 

 

Using Driftwood in a Wedding or Party Theme

Using Driftwood in a Wedding or Party Theme

By Kim Foster

Whether you’re planning a romantic barefoot wedding at the beach or you’ve simply chosen a nautical theme party, using driftwood in a wedding or for your party is one of the most dramatic elements available for your party décor.

Not only is driftwood naturally-occurring and often obtainable for free, but it also adds a perfectly casual yet classy touch to your special occasion. Plus, as an added bonus, driftwood stands up to wind and weather, unlike expensive fresh flowers that will wilt in the heat. Check out these clever ideas for using beautiful, eco-friendly driftwood for your wedding or party.  If you don’t have driftwood available to you locally, check out this tutorial on how to make your own driftwood, or these online sources for obtaining some good driftwood pieces online to get your projects started. Recommended from Amazon for creating Driftwood Furniture including driftwood arches – great for a wedding. Driftwood Furniture: Practical Projects for Your Home and Garden

•    Driftwood Menus

Adding driftwood to your special event menu is a lovely way to add the driftwood theme to your tablescape.  Buy inexpensive frames that have a back stand, make copies of your menu and insert into the frames, then attach driftwood pieces using a hot glue gun and your done.  When the party is over, remove the menus and add your favorite photos from your special event.

Using Driftwood in a Wedding
    •    Driftwood Sailboats

Use simple Driftwood Sailboats as table décor.  Follow these simple instructions for making these easy driftwood sailboats which look amazing when added to any beach themed wedding or party décor and are super easy to make.  Surround your sailboats with other driftwood pieces, shells, candles, sand flowers and you have your simple yet elegant and inexpensive table decorations.

Using Driftwood in a Wedding

•    Driftwood Arch

To begin with the most obvious and yet one of the most striking uses of driftwood, consider exchanging vows with your beloved under a driftwood arch.  Driftwood arches range from stark and simple to breathtakingly intricate, and are easy to enhance in many ways, should you choose. You can cover the entire piece with greenery, or add fabric or ribbons to flutter in the ocean breezes. LED lights wound around the arch look lovely for a nighttime wedding, bringing that radiant glow to your face and that of your intended.

driftwood arch

•    Driftwood Vases

You can just easily make a driftwood vase for holding flowers as you can a driftwood candleholder – the same technique is used.  Find a large cylinder glass vase – clear or even a pretty seaglass color that will show through will work just fine and attach it all the way around using a hot glue gun then just add your choice of flowers.

Driftwood vase

•    Driftwood Signs

Signs are often used to point the way to the ceremony or reception, to urge guests to “Choose a seat, not a side,” or simply to display the names of the bride and groom with a loving message or a romantic quotation underneath. Driftwood signs look right at home in any natural or “shabby chic” venue, and are easy to personalize by painting freehand or using stencils. Driftwood can also be used to frame chalkboards, and messages in chalk can of course be erased after the big day, so you can continue to use the signs in the future.

Driftwood signs

•    Place cards

Search online for “driftwood place cards” and you’ll find so many artful ideas you won’t know which to pick. For starters, you could decide to paint or carve each guest’s name directly onto a small piece of driftwood, creating for each person a unique wedding favor as well as a placeholder. If painting or carving seems too labor-intensive, you can cut small slits into pieces of driftwood to hold handwritten name cards, or drill tiny holes into any small, irregular pieces of wood and insert wire card holders.  This idea from June Bug Weddings.  Photo by Harrison Studio

driftwood placecards

•    Driftwood Candleholders

If you’d like to add a cozy ambiance to your tables, driftwood can be used to make candle holders in countless imaginative styles. If you have a long driftwood log at your disposal, small divots can be cut into it to hold tiny tea lights. You might also arrange sticks of driftwood vertically around a glass candle holder, or directly around a wide candle itself. They can be decorated with ribbon, though twine or thin rope would also be in keeping with a nautical or beachy feel.  For a tutorial on how to make driftwood candleholders click here.

 driftwood candleholder

•    Driftwood Garland

When frilly bows and ribbons just won’t fit in with your theme, you can add a truly unique finishing touch to your wedding décor by creating driftwood garlands. Whether natural colored or whitewashed, a collection of driftwood twigs can be strung together and draped from furniture, laid casually on a tabletop, or used as a tie-back for fabric. Add a few sand dollars, shells, or starfish to turn it into an idyllic seaside accent.

driftwood garland

•    Driftwood Chandelier

For the more ambitious decorator, nothing says “drama” like a handmade driftwood chandelier. The idea is more do-able than you think, and like so many driftwood items, you’ll find that chandeliers can range from intricately entangled sculptures, wired for electricity, to  plain driftwood sticks used to suspend candles in beautiful holders. Metal candle holders are often used and mason jars are popular, too, but any colored glass container can add interest to the piece and tie in with your wedding motif as well.

driftwood chandelier •    Driftwood Cake Display

If you can find the right piece of driftwood, it can be a clever display to highlight a beautiful wedding cake, champagne fountain or food tray.  Make sure your unique piece is capable of holding the weight of whatever you want it to hold and then properly balance and support it for a spectacular driftwood  display your guests will be talking about for years.

Cake on driftwood

•    Driftwood, River Rocks and Flowers

There’s something simple yet serenely beautiful about smooth stacked river rocks and purposefully placed flowers against a backdrop of driftwood that will set the tone for a beach themed wedding.  Hot glue them together so they stay attached then artfully place them on your guest tables or scatter them about your reception area to set a sea inspired zen like ambiance complete with driftwood, flowers and river rocks. 

driftwood and river rocks

 •    Driftwood Centerpiece

Use driftwood as your centerpiece.  Driftwood is naturally beautiful and can easily stand alone as a piece of sculpture or use it as an integral part and incorporate it along with other natural elements.  Include flowers, stones, shells, intertwined or sculptural driftwood and candles.  Simplicity is key.  It doesn’t need to be elaborate to be beautiful.  And don’t forget to add a hint of your colors for your special day, event or the season your celebrating.

Driftwood centerpiece

The allure of driftwood lies in the history each fragment holds. Once young and green, every piece has traveled far and changed much from its original form. Tossed by the waves for many years, it has finally landed on the sunny shore—time-worn, but still strong and beautiful. There is no better symbol for an enduring marriage than driftwood!

Ideas for Landscaping with Driftwood

Landscaping with Driftwood Archway

Landscaping with Driftwood

Landscaping with driftwood starts with a good plan and a some imagination. Since driftwood is already a work of nature, it’s not difficult to cohesively work it in somewhere as either a focal point or complimentary element with your existing natural environment.

Driftwood can easily be carved, sanded and finished to get the shape, texture and look you’re after or just leave it as is. Whether using smaller-sized pieces for projects like birdhouses or larger pieces to make sculptures or lawn and garden furniture, you’re guaranteed to end up with items that are completely unique since no two pieces of driftwood will ever be alike in shape, texture and color.

For instance, if you want to give visual height to an area, create planters from a combination of driftwood and airplants, orchids, succulents or bromeliads then attach them to a wall or tree and watch your new plants happily make themselves at home in the cracks and crevices of the driftwood. Your wall will soon be teaming with carefree greenery, shoots and flowers and become a focal point.  The same idea can be used to create a horizontal focal point.

driftwood fencingLandscaping with driftwood can add visual interest and a focal point to areas that are frequently overlooked or otherwise seem to lack purpose and have no existing appeal. Imagine a large piece of driftwood where others might plant a tree or embed a large boulder – then surround your new sculpture with sea grass or wild flowers.

Think about adding a large driftwood pieces to a pond or other water feature you may have for a natural look. Driftwood on its own could make a unique and beautiful water fountain with the right tools and a little imagination.

Bind together long pieces of driftwood and attach a box to the top for a one-of-a-kind mailbox or create a driftwood Landscaping with Driftwood Benchchandelier for outdoor hanging in a special garden nook. Use it with candles or drape it with pretty flowers or vines.

How about creating driftwood retaining walls for flower beds or around trees by using 8″ linear pieces and sinking them into the ground. You can also create a heavier retainer wall with larger driftwood logs set end to end.

Thick, solid pieces of driftwood make wonderful benches or quaint chairs for sitting in unexpected places. Add a handcrafted driftwood table and you have yourself the perfect place to read a book and enjoy your garden while sipping an ice tea. Insert logs into the ground for natural fence posting.

There are a myriad of possibilities for landscaping with driftwood to create interest in your outdoor space. How will landscaping with driftwood inspire you?

Beach Style Decorating Ideas

Beach style decorating isn’t just for coastal beach houses and cottages by the seashore. It can be incorporated absolutely anywhere to soothe the nerves, provide positive energy and lighten the mood. Some simple beach style decorating tips can bring the therapeutic benefits of a vacation at the beach right into your home.Driftwood chair

Start by installing an interior louvre door and painting it a vibrant Caribbean blue or a deep aquamarine. Louvered doors automatically stir thoughts of old casual beach cottages. Next, install some horizontal planking across one wall of the living room or a whole ceiling and whitewash it for an overall beach house ambiance. Continue the aqua colors in accent pillows, comfy throws and an area rug. Toss in the bright orange of a warm beach sunset.

Go boldly into beach style decorating with unusual and unexpected color in the kitchen. Paint the kitchen island an eye-catching sea green and repeat the color in the window treatments. White or shell cabinets and a sea glass backsplash provide just the right amount of contrast while giving you that sand swept beachy feel.

If you’re not that daring, go to the opposite end of the spectrum and make nearly everything stark white. Then paint the wooden floor and the

cabinet doors a subtle sandy color. Easily add some sophistication with the texture of stainless steel appliances and accents. Purchase or create your own accessories with a nautical or coastal theme with using driftwood, shells and sea glass to create the feeling of being near the sea. Hang some artwork depicting the seaside and fill some shelves with picture frames and treasure boxes bordered in delicate shells. Translucent blue glass accents bring the sea inside.

Wall decor made of woven sea grass and random room accents made of wicker strengthen the aura of a retreat by the beach. Driftwood, when adapted as a home decorating accessory, is extremely versatile and lends itself to endless creative ideas. Weathered driftwood can be hung on a wall as is or insert a simple airplant and use as a planter. Equip it with some small hooks and dangle some souvenirs from the beach. Pick up an inexpensive wood-framed mirror and attach small pieces of driftwood around the border.

Gathering several pieces of driftwood that are all near the same length, tie them together with sea grass or nautical rope and stand them on their ends. Use this as the base for holding dried wild flowers. If you have a large section of driftwood, secure it to a wall, attach some hooks and use it as an unusual hat rack. Try making one of our suggested driftwood candleholders or driftwood lamps. Refinish a great flea market find with a driftwood finish by using Driftwood Weathering Wood Finish or one of our alternative homemade techniques.

If you have a pool, construct a backyard open-air cabana. Basically, this consists of nothing but a simplistic frame and a roof-like covering. Add floor to ceiling canvas curtains tied back to each post and create a look that’s as soft as a sea breeze. Add some more lush plants. Fill it with accent pieces that have seaside motifs like palm fronds, shells or marine life.

Outdoors, landscape with solar lighting as a reminder of the sun’s subtle energy. Indoors, adorn a few side tables with a grouping of sand candles.

Lighten up your mood and your atmosphere with beach style decorating. It’s the next best thing to being there.

How to Create a Driftwood Candleholder

Three Simple Driftwood Candleholders You Can Make Yourself

Driftwood Candleholder Style #1Driftwood Candleholder

You will need:

  • enough cleaned driftwood pieces to fit around your glass candle container
  • multi-purpose epoxy glue
  • glass contained candle
  • raffia or twine (optional)

Directions:

For this style driftwood candleholder, you will want to have enough clean driftwood pieces to go around your glass container candle – 10-20 pieces to chose from depending on the size of your glass container . It’s best to use 1″ thick linear pieces rather than awkward shaped driftwood pieces.

Determine how tall you want the height to be. Some prefer the height to be just to the top of the glass while I’ve seen others extend it 2-3

inches taller than your glass container. Either way looks great.

  1. Saw off the ends of each piece so they will line up evenly at the bottom around the your glass container while still giving you the height you want.
  2. Now one by one, line up a piece with the bottom of the glass container and begin gluing. Continue until you have completed the circumference.

Wait until the glue dries according to the package before using.

You may wish to dress up your container with raffia or twine.

A great decorating tip is to create three of these candleholders of various heights for use in displaying.

 

Driftwood Candleholder Style #2Driftwood candleholder

You will need:

  • Driftwood
  • candles in glass votive holders or tea lights in tin holders
  • drill
  • 1  3/4″ (44 mm)  hole saw – which is a type of bit that will fit on a drill and create the holes (available at Lowe’s and Home Depot)

Directions:

Suppose you have a wonderfully unique piece that is too big to use for the first style candle holder but you really want a driftwood candleholder. If you have a piece that will sit solidly on a flat surface without being “tippy”, then this is a good option for making your unique driftwood candle holder.

  1. Lay your driftwood piece on a flat surface and determine where you might want to put one or more candles. Space them out so they won’t cause a fire hazard when lit.
  2. Once you have identified where you want the candles, mark the center.
  3. Now secure your driftwood and drill your holes using the hole saw drill bit to match the size of your votive or tin candle holders. Drill no more than 1/2″ for tin tea lights. You can drill deeper for votive holders. You want to make sure that the hole is not so deep that a lit candle will catch the surrounding edges of the driftwood on fire.

I’ve seen this style used with elaborate pieces and many candles, as well as with one hole and one simple candle – and they are all beautiful.

Driftwood Candleholder Style #3Driftwood candleholder

You will need:

  • thick cut of driftwood (4″ or more circumference)
  • drill
  • 1  3/4″ (44 mm)  hole saw – which is a type of bit that will fit on a drill and create the holes (available at Lowe’s and Home Depot)
  • glass votive holder or tea light tins

Directions:

  1. Cut both ends of your driftwood so both the top and bottom are flat.
  2. Using the hole saw drill bit, drill a hole in the center of the top deep enough to fit your tin or votive holder.
  3. Insert your votive or tin.

This style looks best when the votive or tin sits almost level with the driftwood surface.

A great tip is to make three of this style in various heights for a great display.

There you have it – a driftwood candle holder style for everyone!

Other projects to try: Driftwood Lamp; Driftwood Sailboat; Driftwood Christmas Tree, Driftwood Windchime, Driftwood Clock

Step by Step Directions for Making a Driftwood Lamp

Step by Step Directions for Making a Driftwood LampDriftwood Lamp Instructions Step 1

A driftwood lamp is one of the simplest things you can make with driftwood – don’t be intimidated.  You would really have to work at it to make a driftwood lamp that DOES NOT look good.  It’s a matter of placing and attaching the driftwood pieces in a position that you find pleasing to the eye.   But, first things first – find yourself a lamp base that you want to use or buy a kit with all the necessary pieces.

1.  Gather your Driftwood.  If you don’t have a local source, we have driftwood available in varying sizes.  There are also other sellers on Etsy with varying prices.

2.  Find your Lamp.  For the lamp I’m working with here, I found the lamp at a thrift store for $8.00 and tested it before leaving the store to make sure it still worked.  This particular lamp was an easy one to work with as it was just a metal rod sitting on a metal base.  What I particularly liked was that it had a pull chain on/off switch.  Find a lamp that is the right height for the pieces of driftwood that you will be working with and one that you can easily take apart down to the rod.  Some lamps will not have a rod but that’s okay – a creative mind will be able to use driftwood pieces to create a base.  In that instance, you could use long thin driftwood pieces like we are using here or you could use unique and bulkier pieces to create your base and you won’t have to try to hide the rod.  Just make sure your driftwood lamp base is stable.

3.  Supplies. 

Glue – I used Aleene’s 7800 Adhesive which I purchased at a big chain hardware store.  Choose a glue that will adhere to both wood and whatever your base is made of, in my instance it was metal.  The glue needs to dry clear and it’s really helpful if it bonds quickly.

Masking Tape – any painter’s or masking tape will do – you just want to secure the driftwood pieces in place while the glue dries.

4.  Start Gluing.  Get an idea of what driftwood pieces you may want to use and how you want to place them around your base.  Start gluing one by one.  

 

5.  Wrap with Masking Tape.  When you’re finished gluing, carefully wrap with masking tape to hold you pieces until the glue dries.  Overnight is good.  In my case, I glued one round of pieces and let dry overnight.  The next day, I decided to add more pieces.

 

6.  Final Touches.

If you didn’t like the metal base or just wanted to add a little something more, here are a few ideas to personalize your driftwood lamp, but remember “less Driftwood Lamp instructionsis more”.  Simple driftwood lamps are quite beautiful with just the driftwood.

Sand – Use a white glue such as Elmer’s and brush it all over the base.  Pour fine white sand onto the glue until the base is completely covered.  You can build up the sand by layering, letting dry and then coat again with glue and sand until you’ve build up several layers.

Sea Glass – Glue sea glass pieces onto the base with a clear drying glue.

Shells – Dig out that shell collection you’ve had for years and start adhering shells with clear drying glue.  Keep it simple and don’t go overboard.

Moss – Find a moss that you like and glue the moss in between the driftwood pieces all around the base.  This adds more of a “woodland” look rather than seashore but still has a nice natural look to it.

Now that your lamp is finished, you need to find a lamp shade.  I’m on the hunt for the perfect white shade for my new lamp as I think it will look better than this patterned lamp shade.Driftwood Lamp instructions

For more driftwood lamp styles check out create a driftwood lamp and simple candleholders using driftwood. It only takes a little imagination to put some eclectic lighting into your living space. You’ll save hundreds of dollars on what it would cost for a similar driftwood lamp and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you can create a driftwood lamp yourself.

How to Create a Driftwood Lamp

How to Create a Driftwood Lamp

Making a driftwood lamp is a great way to put your favorite driftwood pieces on display. Whether using one large solid driftwood piece or several small pieces, your new driftwood creation is going to bring plenty of texture and certainly a wonderful naturalness to your decor by bringing the outdoors feeling in. These three simple lamp-building projects can be completed in one afternoon.

Turning a Flea Market Find into a Beautiful New Driftwood Table Lamp create a driftwood lamp

Pick up a basic table lamp from a yard sale or thrift shop, if you don’t already have one that you’d like to redo.

  1. Disassemble the lamp to remove any decorative column so you are left with the metal center rod.
  2. Reassemble the lamp with just the center rod. This is what you will attach your driftwood pieces to.
  3. Gather several slender driftwood pieces that curve slightly outward at one end. The bottom ends will sit on the the original base; the tops will reach just beyond the socket.
  4. Surrounding the lamp rod with the driftwood and attach with a multi-purpose epoxy glue, position the top ends outward and away from the socket.
  5. Top with your favorite lampshade.

When turned on, this light will present a soft driftwood silhouette.

Create a Driftwood Lamp For Your Desk

Create a driftwood lampGet started with an inexpensive lamp kit, a quarter-inch thick wooden base, four wooden buttons and four or more pieces of driftwood of similar length to the base.

  1. Start with a base that’s about nine inches long and three inches wide.
  2. Drill a three-quarter inch hole into the center.
  3. Drill the same width hole through the center of each piece of driftwood. The driftwood shapes can range from flat to round and, for this project, the width or diameter of each piece should not exceed two inches.
  4. Fix the lamp rod to the base by securing it with a washer and nut.
  5. Artfully stack the driftwood horizontally over the rod and onto the base. Once you have happy with the placement of the driftwood pieces, use glue to adhere each piece together so they stay in place.
  6. Work the lamp cord through the bottom of the base, through each piece of driftwood right up to the top of the rod.
  7. Follow the lamp kit’s instructions to wire and secure the socket to the rod’s top end then attach the harp to the socket.
  8. Glue the wooden buttons to the bottom four corners of the base to give enough height to accommodate the lamp cord under the base

Ttop off your new lamp with a complimentary shade.

Driftwood Stands Out As A Floor Lampcreate a driftwood lamp

Bring the outside in and create a driftwood lamp for that special reading nook.

  1. Drill a three-quarter inch center hole into a 1″ thick base that can be 12″ wide by 12-24″ long.
  2. Drill a quarter-inch hole through the side of the base until it merges with the center hole. This will be for the lamp cord.
  3. Run the lamp cord through the hole in the side of the base to the center hole and then work it through a five-foot lamp rod.
  4. Choose as many long pieces of driftwood that you want to use to achieve your look – 25-30 pieces all roughly the same height. Cut the ends of each piece so you have a flat surface.
  5. Decide as best you can where you want to place each piece and drill a wide enough hole into the base about 1/2″ deep to accommodate each piece.
  6. Using a fast acting epoxy glue, glue each piece into their respective drilled holes until you achieve the look you want. Make sure the glue doesn’t seep out onto the top of the base although if it does, you could easily disguise it with pieces of moss.
  7. The brass rod should extend at least four inches above the top of the driftwood.
  8. Finish as per the instructions for the desk lamp.
  9. Top it off with a complimentary shade and you’ve created a beautiful new driftwood floor lamp.

Driftwood lampNeed pictures to go with the step by step directions?  Check out Step by Step Directions for Making a Driftwood Lamp. There are countless other ways to create a driftwood lamp, chandeliers, floor lamps, wall sconces and simple candleholders using driftwood. It only takes a little imagination to put some eclectic lighting into your living space. You’ll save hundreds of dollars on what it would cost for a similar driftwood lamp and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you can create a driftwood lamp yourself.

For more driftwood projects, check out 5 Easy Creative Driftwood Projects you Can do at Home.