I don’t think there are many people out there that have not heard of the Game of Thrones TV series. 

So when I was looking for a theme for my next project Game of Thrones was top of my list. I had recently become interested in doing mixed media craft.  Mixed media is interesting because of all the textures and layers. If you are not happy with the results you just cover them up and start again. So here is my version of a DIY Game of Thrones lamp using mixed media.

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I had seen painted wine bottles on Pinterest and that is where I got the idea from. The shape of the Jack Daniels bottle was perfect for what I had in mind. I had to go around asking people if they had any lying around and I eventually got lucky.

Cutting your hole

For my first attempt, I used a diamond tip drill bit.  This was a very slow process and trying to add water and drill at the same time was not that easy. I finally got through and the drill slipped inside and fell to the side, and the weight of the drill smashed my bottle. 

My next attempt was using a diamond tip hole cutter. But when it arrived there was no way to hold the drill bit in place while you drill the hole.  I used a scrap of wood and drilled a hole in the wood large enough to let the drill bit through.  The wood was clamped to the bottle and using the diamond-tipped drill bit cut the hole in seconds. I was so eager to try the new drill bit that I did not make sure my hole was centred. Oops

Cleaning up the bottle

I removed all the labels from the bottle and washed the surface with warm water and detergent.  To prime the bottle, I added 2 coats of black Gesso primer using a brush. I left the middle unpainted because I had plans to cover it with faux leather.

Adding Texture

Mixed media is all about textures and mixing different mediums. I wanted to have a leather look on the base. I cut a piece of faux leather to size and using E6000, glued the leather to the bottle.  Like all my projects I have an idea in my head to start, but this project changed so many times my head was spinning. 

To add more texture I made some stencils using my Cricut Explore vinyl cutting machine. I found the free designs I wanted on the internet and cut them into the stencil film. The stencil was then taped to the bottle and using a spatula I added texture paste to the stencil.  I am not a big fan of the perfect look, I think the imperfections are what make it perfect. So no need to try and make the textures perfect. You can use a heat gun to speed up the drying process.

Adding Game of Throne characters to the bottle

I used the Cricut vinyl cutter again to cut out my images. All these images can be purchased from a large variety of Etsy stores. The images were added to the design space programme for the Cricut.  I cut them out on vinyl and transferred them over to the leather using transfer tape and a scraper.   It was here I found the vinyl a bit boring, I wanted a more 3D surface. 

Creating 3D images

To make the iron throne, I used the Cricut again and cut out the image of the iron throne 5 times on cardstock. They were glued together using 2-way zig glue to make one 3D image. To soften the edges of the throne, I scuffed up the edges using a nail file. If you are observant you will notice that I kept the negative image here.  But this will give you an idea of how to do the images.

Some of the images worked, others turned out terrible as you can see from my images.  The SVG cut file I bought of Cersei Lannister looked really bad so she had to go.  I decided to just add the wall design over her.  I used a brick wall stencil and texture paste, to make the brick wall on the bottle. Wash your stencil straight away, because the texture paste does not wash off after it is dry.

Adding embellishments

I had some charms leftover from my previous mixed media canvas which I added to the bottle.  These charms are so soft you can bend them around the corners, which looked great.  I added so vinyl dragons around the top to try and hide the Jack Daniel name.  I made a King and Queen chess piece using a silicone mould and epoxy resin. The studs on the corners were studs from my workshop that I cut the pins off and glued them to the bottle.  The other bits and pieces that I added where pieces of broken jewellery and a piece of burlap fabric that I glued to the bottle.

Adding legs

The legs were legs I ordered off Wish without checking the description, and when they arrived they were for a jewellery box.  But they worked great for this project.  I cut a small piece of MDF that was glued to the bottom of the bottle.  This gave a flat surface to glue the legs in place. I used contact glue to secure the legs.

 Adding Gesso and gold wax paste

Once I was happy with everything that I added to the bottle, I added another coat of black Gesso primer.  This is just my personal taste, I had black and bronze in mind for this project. To add the bronze wax paste to the black, using your finger is the best method.  Just dip your finger in the bronze and run it over the surface, not filling in all the gaps with the bronze. Looking to start doing mixed media DIY check out this post on how to make your wax pastes and shimmer sprays.

Making the lamp shade

I did not want the boring old lamp shade and could not find what I had in mind, so I made my own.   I had a tealight glass box at home which I thought would be perfect for the lampshade.  

Strolling around  Kmart one day I found this solar outdoor lamp for $4.00 which I thought would work perfectly.  The bulb was plastic so it was easy to cut out.  

Adding the fittings

I recycled the fitting from an old lamp I had at home.  The light fitting fit the new holder perfectly, I just had to find a way to stop it from wobbling.  I used the lid off the Jack Daniels bottle and drilled a hole the size of the light fitting and joined them together. 

Lampshade

All the graphics for the lamp shade were made using the Cricut vinyl cutter.  You can also use a Silhouette Cameo if you have one or something similar. All my graphic were purchased off Etsy. As you can imagine from the image below I did not think about the graphics all being visible at all angles.  It really did look a hot mess.

Add Backing paper to graphics

I did try a paper backing inside the glass, but it blocked too much of the light and could be a potential fire hazard.  My logic was, If the baking paper can survive in the oven it will survive a lightbulb.  I cut the baking paper to size and lined all for sides of my lamp.  The tealight cube had a little groove that supported the glass.  This was perfect to hold the baking paper in place.  I did add some clear tape to the inside where it was not visible to secure the paper.

Fitting the lampshade

To join the tealight box and the light frame I used epoxy glue to seal them together. I got some dragon earrings which were a free gift, which now hangs from the lamp holder hoops.  Looking for more great bottle crafts ideas check out this great selection on Favecrafts.com and DIYIdeaCenter. 

Lampshade Graphics

 

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