Cup and Saucer Candle Lamp

Its cool when you can think of projects that recycle old dishes into new things you can use or display. Like, did you know you could make a pincushion from a coffee cup? The finished pincushion will make people do a double-take when they see it since it nearly looks like a real cup of coffee! If you happen to have a cup and saucer you never use, one that has no mates, thats the perfect setup for creating a gorgeous lamp for a bedroom or other area of your home.

Have you ever seen those fake candles that are often sold at dollar-theme stores? Generally, the white plastic candles are sold around the holidays and are ideal for making the unusual lamp. The fake candles come in two different styles. One is an electric candle and one is battery operated. The latter is the better choice for this project since theres no risk of it getting too hot. If you decide on an electric candle make sure you use a low watt bulb. Although the electric candle, if it gets too hot, wont make the lamp catch fire it can crack the terra cotta liner that goes inside the cup.

The assembly of the lamp is really easy. Turn the saucer upside-down and glue the candlestick base to it. Many saucers have designs on the top, and not the bottom, so you might opt to glue the candlestick to the top of the saucer instead. If the saucer has no design it can be used either way. Use a small clay pot to make the inner liner of the cup. The tiny pot is what allows the cup to sit straight on the bulb of the candlestick. Its best if you use an adhesive that doesnt dry too quickly. The reason for this is some adjustment might be needed to get the saucer perfectly balanced. For example, even though youll be gluing the pot to the bottom of the cup, it might need to be positioned a little to one side to allow for the weight of the handle. So, add the glue to the bottom of the small clay pot and stick it to the center bottom of the inside of the cup. Now turn the cup upside-down, holding the pot in place, and position the hole of the pot on top of the point of the candlestick bulb. If needed, scoot the cup a little to one side until it balances perfectly. Remove the cup and set it right side-up until the glue has set. The candlestick itself is plain white plastic and there are any number of things you can do to enhance it, from using metallic tape, to adding a rub-on applique to using rubber stamping methods. The finished lamp looks beautiful in a bedroom, entryway, kitchen or other areas of the home.