Turn Simple Pipe Cleaners Into The Cutest Mushroom Lamp That Adds A Rustic Touch To Decor

We all want to add a little character to our living spaces, whether it's embracing whimsy-maxxing by filling your bookshelves with adorable thrifted trinkets or covering your fridge in magnetic mementos. Creating a home that's as unique as it is comfortable is a design idea that's unlikely to disappoint. One way to channel the aesthetic on a budget is to keep an eye out for simple DIY decor projects using craft supplies you might already have at home. If rustic is your vibe, this project is right up your alley. You might have seen cute mini mushrooms made from pipe cleaners before. It's a popular craft project right now. However, Instagrammer kitschy.flore takes things a step further by enlarging the stem of the 'shroom and adding a string of fairy lights to create a table lamp.

Although making lighting by hand may seem like a tall task, this is actually a fairly easy DIY activity. First, you'll need some white and red pipe cleaners. This 300-pack of Caydo Thick Chenille Pipe Cleaners also includes green pipe cleaners, but there are many genius ways to repurpose pipe cleaners around your home and garden, so you're sure to find a good use for them. In addition, get a few rubber bands, scissors, a hot glue gun and glue sticks, and some Barcelonetta White Felt Fabric. Grab a lighter to singe the fluff from the edges of the pipe cleaners. Don't worry; we didn't forget the lamp part of this DIY! Get some twinkle lights — these Hobays Battery-Operated Fairy Lights are a great option. Now, let's add some eccentricity to your home with a new fungi-themed lamp!

The first step is to create the base of your mushroom lamp. Take a handful of white pipe cleaners and tie a rubber band firmly around one end. Holding the end secured by the rubber band in one hand, flip the pipe cleaners upside down and allow the pieces to form a round or donut shape. Gather the pipe cleaners at the other end and secure them with another rubber band. Then trim any excess from the pipe cleaners. You should end up with a pear-shaped mushroom stem.

Next, it's time to make the cap of the mushroom. Cut a handful of red pipe cleaners in half, then fold the cut pieces in half again. Wrap the two ends of one of the cut and folded pipe cleaners around a full-length red pipe cleaner. The result? A loop attached to a single full-length pipe cleaner. Repeat this process until you've filled about half of the full-length cleaner with loops — there should be no gaps in between them. Then thread another full-length pipe cleaner through all the loops. Pull it tight to create a half circle.

Twist the ends of the second full-length pipe cleaner to secure it in place, then trim off any overhang. Repeat this process one more time so you have two half-circles. Attach the two half-circles together with a little hot glue, bending them slightly so the top is concave. You've created an adorable, fluffy mushroom cap! Gently singe the edges of the cap with the lighter to stop fraying, just as you would with ribbon. Pipe cleaners are flammable, so go slowly and work outside to disperse any fumes. Add some hot glue to the top of the mushroom stem and press the cap on.

To finish up your lamp, cut little circles from the white felt in various sizes, then hot glue them to the top of the mushroom cap. You're imitating a fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) mushroom, which thrives in birch, pine, or spruce forests. Bundle your string lights together tightly and push them through the pipe cleaners and into the stem of the mushroom. Turn them on and enjoy the show!

In nature, mushrooms mostly have white or brown caps with white, yellow, or brown spots. But who says you have to stick to those colors? Go rogue and choose pink, green, or blue pipe cleaners — or whatever other colors your heart desires. You could even use patterned or ombre pipe cleaners, like these pastel-hued Toaob the One and Only Baby Gradient Pipe Cleaners. You could use any leftover pipe cleaners to DIY artificial mums for a fall centerpiece that includes your light-up fungi. Just imagine your dining table or entryway console decorated with cute DIY pipe cleaner mushrooms and artificial flowers.

You could add even more whimsy to your mushrooms by swapping out the boring ol' felt circles for other shapes, such as stars and hearts. If you're not in need of more lighting, skip the twinkle lights altogether and just display a few mushrooms sans illumination. You could even group your own DIY mushroom decor with this adorable craft: puffy gilled fungi made from sheets of cardboard. Before you know it, your home will be overrun by these fake fungi!