With the festive season almost upon us I wanted to show you a little project I’ve been working on here at The Barn – a quick and simple do-it-yourself JOY light in gold letters.

If you follow me at my other ‘home’ – The Joy Chaser – then you’ll know that as well as interiors I’m passionate about finding happiness in the everyday. So I decided to combine my passions and brighten up my office (which is desperately in need of a makeover) with a JOY light to bring some sparkle into my working day!

Here’s my step-by-step tutorial so you can make one for yourself or perhaps for a loved one this Christmas. I’ve framed mine and hung it in the office but it would look stunning as part of a festive mantelpiece decoration.

You will need…

Hollow cardboard letters, battery powered bulbs (I got both from Amazon), craft knife/sharp scissors, metal ruler, glue, frame

Step One

Turn the first letter over and score a line down the middle using a metal ruler and a craft knife or very sharp scissors. This provides the channel for your lights to sit in so that the letters can sit flat against the frame.

Step Two

Count the number of bulbs that you have on your light string and mark a spot on each letter so that the bulbs will be spread out evenly across each one. Then make a hole in the front of the letter where you’ve made the marks and gently push a light bulb through, checking that you’re starting with end bulb and working back to the battery case (if it has one).

Step Three

Repeat steps one and two for each of the letters, being a bit more careful than I was pushing through the bulbs so you don’t get as much tearing as I did! (I’ll be using smaller bulbs next time I do this.) Push all of the wire into the channel at the back of the letter so that you only have a very small amount showing and then stick the letters down. Pull the battery pack through to the back of the frame and attach it with the casing facing out so that you can replace the batteries.

And that’s it! A quick DIY JOY light.

You could use this same technique to spell out XMAS or a child’s name for their room. The options are endless!

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