A Primitive Place
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Primitive & Colonial Inspired Homes
November Crafting Tutorial by Char Sethman
"How to make Grubby Silicone Light Strands"
Hello, my name is Char Sethman and I am a Prim Addict! 
I love scouring Thrift Shoppes, Flea Markets, Yard Sales, Antique Malls, & Salvage Yards in my spare time.  And if you see someone digging through someone's trash along side the road, that would probably be me....as I LOVE dumpster diving!   Most of my favorite pieces I have in my home have come from someone elses trash!  Never under estimate what a can of paint, wood glue and some nails can do for a piece of furniture!!!
I will be creating a monthly Crafting Tutorial for A Primitive Place and just recently joined the APP Staff as Prim Project Manager.

I also am currently writing for Mercantile Gathering Magazine in the "trash to treasure" section, which I show you how to take those pieces you would have thrown away and make them into something useful!  

I will also be featured in the Fall 2009 & Holiday 2009 edition of "Create & Decorate" magazine with 2 of my projects.

I do offer my Primitive Goodies for sale in my Etsy Shoppe and for any of you that like to make your own crafts, I have a crafting Blog that you can come and craft along with me weekly!  Both of these are called "The Pickled Pepper Patch".

Until next month!

Char Sethman
Prim Project Manager
A Primitive Place
I am fasicnated with trying to recreate "pieces of the past" that our ancestors found needful for everyday living or taking a new piece and putting it through an aging process to add "character" so that it looks as if it has been around for sometime.
I am a lover of all things grungy, rusty, torn & tattered.....just like you would find in Grandma's Attic or Grandpa's Shed.
Submitted by The Pickled Pepper Patch 2009
Check out our previous months crafting tutorials:
I know around this time of year, lights are everything! We light up the outside of our homes for the Christmas Season, we light up our mantles, we light up our tree (or 10 trees if you are like me...LOL), we light up anything that sits still long enough! I just love to use Grubby Silicone Lights for my lighting! They give such a soft warm primitive glow! Now, you can add these wonderful lights to your holiday decor! Enjoy!


Supplies:

*Light Strand (I am using 100 ct. lights)
*Mainstay Clear Silicone (Walmart)
*Coffee Grounds (I use the brewing kind NOT instant)
*Oil Paints (you can use the tube kind or the bottle kind used for Model Cars)
*Disposable Cup
*Rubber Gloves
*Popsicle Stick
*OPTIONAL: Candle Fragrance Oil



First, you need to test your lights! This is so important, as I have had light strands that did NOT work and I dipped the whole set wasting time and money!
Once that you have tested them we are going to string your lights up for dipping.
I have devised a system in my craft room/basement for just this. I have taken and placed cup hooks on my wall to string my lights from side to side.
Now, we are ready to start making your silicone mixture for dipping.
Take and squirt a good amount of silicone in your cup.
Take and place about an 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of Coffee Grounds into your mixture.
You really don't want alot of them, just enough to add the "grubby" to the lights.

Stir it up now with your popsicle stick.
Time to add the coloring! I like to use the Oil tube paints.
I purchased these in a set right at Walmart.
I am making the Mustard colored lights. So, I take a SMALL dab of yellow
(A very LITTLE of paint goes a long way!) and an even smaller dab of brown
and add it to the silicone mixture.
Stir it up with your popsicle stick. If you need to add more of one of the other,
do that now. However, remember this will dry slightly darker.
Now, the fun part....DIPPING! I just take my cup and start right at the beginning
of the light strand and just go one by one so I don't miss any!
I will give a few little tips:

1. I do dip my lights in, pull out and dip it back in. I am a double dipper!!!!
It just seems to cover the light better that way as the first dip doesn't get
it good enough I think.

2. I stir my silicone about every 3-5 lights. It seems the warmer the
silicone is...the nicer the tails become. So, stirring it often keeps it warm.

Now, once your lights are all dipped...let them dry for at least 5 hours.
I let them dry overnite to really "cure".
Here they are with their warm, soft glow!
"How to make Grubby Silicone Light Strands"