Three ways to reuse old bulbs

Use them to make simple decor items

Terrariums

Do you have burnt-out bulbs lying around in the house? Reuse them by giving them a new avatar. Please note: The first step to making these items is to remove the filament carefully, and clean the bulb’s inside. Use safety goggles and gloves when working with light bulbs.

Materials needed to make these items include a light bulb, plant or flowers, glue or a hot glue gun, thread or twine, scissors, and a knife.

Christmas tree ornament

After cleaning the bulb inside out, air dry it carefully. After it dries, paint it carefully with mixed colours, or red and white, or green and white, or even a metallic colour (gold or silver). Bengaluru-based Archana Shah, who made this with her eight-year-old daughter Srinidhi, says, “After painting the light bulb, let it air dry, and stick white or gold-shaped snowflakes or sequins or glitter, on it.” To create a fun reindeer ornament, bend two pieces of pipe cleaner wire and make them look like antlers. “Glue the antlers to the neck end using a glue gun. Draw eyes and a red nose using permanent markers,” she says. Tie a ribbon or twine around the neck and leave some extra to tie into a loop, to hang from the tree, she adds.

Terrarium

These small succulent gardens can lighten up any space. Ajoy Das, a waste recyclist from Hyderabad, makes terrariums from bulbs and mason jars.

The easiest to set up is a moss terrarium, he says. “Moss doesn’t have roots, which makes the process simpler. Sheet moss is an easy choice to work with, or break a portion of a cushion moss, and push it down the opening carefully,” he says. You can also use succulents, he adds. Fill the bulb up with soil, up to the level you would like. Use dried leaves and small twigs, if needed. “Use a pair of tweezers to arrange the moss or plant. If planting succulents, use small rocks as a substrate,” he says.

If you want to place your terrarium on a flat surface, either use a jar lid and place the bulb on it, or use hot glue to make four thick dots in the shape of a square, to seat it. Use rope or twine and wind it around the neck end, to hang on a window or a balcony, Ajoy adds.

Snow globe

To make snow globes, you will need: a figurine, varnish or transparent nail polish. drops of glycerine, super glue or a glue gun, a bottle cap, glitter, and distilled water.

Rashhmita CK, a hobby craft artist from Chennai, says ensuring the bulb doesn’t break and finding a bottle cap that fits its neck are challenging steps. “Paint the figurine with a few coats of transparent nail polish or varnish. After it dries, stick it to the bottle cap. Let it dry,” she says.

Add glitter into the bulb, fill it with two-thirds of distilled water, and add a few drops of glycerine. “Slowly tighten the cap around the bulb neck and secure it with super glue or a glue gun. Make sure it is sealed and let it dry properly,” Rashhmita adds. Make sure you place it carefully on a flat base, and shake carefully to see the effect.