ashtray lights

it is getting towards the blur of the fall craft shows. here is an idea for a smaller, and less expensive project in time and costs to produce than the glass block lights. if you know your area and you are one of the first to have these to offer, they should sell for you. mine have gone for $10-12 for small (4 1/2-5") and $15-17.50 for the larger (6 1/2 - 7 ") ashtrays. i shop around the dollar stores to find nicer ones with more detail and that look like more expensive cut glass ones.



you will need:

2 matching glass ash trays (clear is probably most available and best, but i have some nice soft colored frosted ones i like too)



1 string of xmas lights of your choice - white or otherwise (i have have used all of the colors and all have sold for me) stringss of 20 are the easiest to work with, but the larger sized ashtrays can fit the 35's, so you have more colors of light available



hot glue gun and whichever glue for glass you prefer



alcohol to clean the glass



ribbons for bows to finish them off or floral picks, if you want to get more fancy and pricey



wipe off the inside of one of the ashtrays to remove all the oils and dirt and then hot glue the string of lights evenly around the bottom, including the center of the ashtray. start gluing with the end that does NOT have the plug. extend the plug out of the ashtray through one of the notches for the cigarette to rest in - i usually put a bit of hot glue on it, too to help secure it all.



clean off the edges of both ashtrays and dry completely, then add a bit of adhesive in several spots, invert the other ashtray over the one with the lights, line up the notches and set the top down. to keep them lined up, you can wrap the 2 with wire, string or the easiest is a rubber band until the glue sets. if you want to skip gluing them together, you will have to wrap them to keep them from coming apart, even if you are going to tie a bow on them- thin-guage wire works the best, i think.



after the glue is set, add the bow and pick if you choose and you are done! these are aboutthe quickest thing i have made for shows and has really been one of the best sellers for me. they sell well at places like beauty shops too if you do not have much opportunity for craft shows. they sell better if they can be displayed plugged in so folks see what they are. i promote them as "accent lights."

look for nice ashtrays, though - the fake cut glass detail adds to the reflection off the walls and ceiling and makes these look sooooooo much better than just plain glass ones...



i promote these as nice night lights - suggest to be used in baby's room or in the bathroom so you don't have to turn on a light in the middle of the night or in a dark corner somewhere - some of the bows i do up with baby thingies on them for that... see what happens and have fun with it - let us know how it goes if you try some...



btw- do not use hot glue to stick the 2 ashtrays together - it will not hold up and they will come apart on you - booo hisssss

Understand about the fancy cut glass being important to light refraction. I've found E6000 glue works well to bond glass, just takes a while to dry and your tip on using rubber bands is a dandy. Will let you know how these lights go over down here. Thanks again for your help and super ideas!!!!!

This is my first posting to this site and I need some advise please. The ashtray nightlights are so beautiful and I wanted to make some. I found it got VERY HOT after a few hours, then the lights (string of 20) fell against each other, melted and the nightlight shorted out. NOT GOOD. I need to know how deep are the ashtrays please? Any and all suggestions most appreciated.

Bridget in B.C.

What is the best glue to use to make the ashtrays stick together best and not fall apart?

Also, is there anyplace I can go to see one of these done up. Is there a picture posted somewhere?

Thanks in advance for your help : )

~Pam