Introduction: Magical Starry Night Light W/ Wood, Foamboard & Fairy Lights

By http://youtube.com/darbinorvar
About: Hi I'm Linn and on my Youtube Channel I have lots of great videos about building, construction and fun projects. You can also check out my site @ http://darbinorvar.com

I wanted to make an interesting night light featuring the stars and constellations, and I wanted it to be a pretty easy build that anyone could make. So for this project I decided to work with foam board and then add some wood accents to make it more stable and add some nice contrast.

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Step 1: Foam Board & Constellations

I just used a regular navy foam board from the craft store and I printed out a map of some constellation. First I tested out the idea to see if it was something that I liked, and I thought it turned out pretty cool.

Step 2: Creating a Hexagon Shape

So at this point, I cut out the navy board, I went with a size of 15 inches long (380 mm), 7 1/2 inches tall, or 190 mm and I marked 2 1/2 inch (63 mm) segments which I cut, half way through with an exacto knife for the folds.

Step 3: Punching the Holes

I cut the ends at an angle so they would ccome together nicely

After that I used the constellation maps to mark out where I wanted these holes, and I turned these maps upside down and around, not sure if that's accurate, but I thought it filled out the space better. And to cut out these holes I used leather punches in three different sizes.

Step 4: Wood Base & Top

Now if you don't have access to wood, you could certainly cap this with more foamboard, and that could be really cool. However I decided I wanted something with some weight to make it a bit more stable, and decided to use some CVG fir, although any wood would be nice.

So we cut up two hexagon shapes on the bandsaw, that were just a little larger than the foam hexagon, so there will be a bit of an overhang. Also, some small pieces for feet.

Step 5: Attaching the Feet

To provide light for this I'm using one of these fairy lights with a battery pack and I want to keep the battery pack at the bottom of the light, so the feet need to be high enough for that. I used six feet, one for each side. And I figured the easiest way to put on the feet would be to just use glue and a nail gum. And then just drilling a hole for the cord.

Step 6: Attaching Battery Pack

To keep the battery pack in place I'm using velcro, cause then it's easy to take it off to replace the batteries. And I'm also adding some epoxy for extra staying power. And then continuing with the epoxy to assemble everything together.

Step 7: Gluing the Top, Middle & Base

It's hard to get the foam board to set perfectly, I tried clamps but that was really hard to get right, so just really using rubber bands, and then I got to work on the wood part right away before the foam board had time to set completely.

Step 8: Finish

For a finish, just some spray lacquer which is nice and quick.

Step 9: Conclusion - Watch the Video

To see the light in action, and to see each step of the build more clearly, make sure to check out the video!