I always get giddy when it comes to my Magical DIY blogs. Today I will be focussing on my oldest daughter’s “favorite part of Disney rides.” She loves the stars! Making a star canopy and wall display are non-negotiable features in our downstairs Disney-themed game room. A star-lit sky is only fitting while playing cards or pirate dice on board the poop deck of The Wicked Wench. And naturally, if you enter the captain’s quarters, you will look out on the inky sea only to see a million stars and constellations leading the way to the treasure.
What to use for a Star canopy
My first quest was to determine the best substrate to use for my star canopy. Hanging it directly from the ceiling requires something lightweight. You also want something opaque enough to keep wires out of view regardless of the lighting conditions. You don’t want to ruin the magic you know. 🙂 Black-out curtains fit the bill for all my needs. They are heavy and sturdy enough to disguise the inner workings of the canopy while lightweight and flexible enough to be suspended above your head.
Creating the “Starlight” for the Canopy with Fiber Optics
Thanks to modern technology, there are quite a few options for lighting your stars. Fiber optics create the most realistic and most effective 3d effect. You need access to an electrical outlet and a way to mount the main light source hidden under the canopy. Individual optic fibers can be pulled through the fabric until your sky is full of star shine. In this case, the most effective method also happens to be the most expensive, therefore I bypassed this option.
Battery Operated Stars
Using battery-powered LED Christmas lights is much less expensive. I found several strands of battery-powered “fairy lights” on Amazon. There is added convenience in that they include an automatic timer on the battery pack. The battery pack is lightweight and easily mounted and hidden above the star canopy. This is a great option if you do not have an outlet available close to your star canopy. Set the timer and your stars appear at dusk. The downside is changing the batteries. As much as I enjoy the lights magically appearing just as the sun sets, the battery life isn’t magical at all. Batteries are expensive to replace. Also, I have to climb a ladder or teeter on a chair to get to the battery pack.
Plug-In Stars
I’m in the process of converting my battery-operated canopy into a plug-in. Because the ceiling has open rafters, I easily installed an outlet by tapping into a nearby light switch. I may add an automatic timer to the outlet to regain the magical effect of automatic starlight at dusk.
Selecting Lights For the Star Canopy
I am naturally drawn to warm lighting. However, the light from the stars and the moon cast more cool light. This became obvious when I first chose small, warm Christmas lights. I got everything attached to the display and plugged it in. Instead of starlight, they twinkled orange orbs. It was much more of a Halloween vibe than happy little stars. Once I switched out the lights for a cooler tone, it looked like a night sky.
Size Matters
As far as size, a smaller bulb size is better. Light strings, often marketed as “fairy lights,” are the ideal bulb size. You want to be sure you have enough distance from your last light for the plug-in to reach the outlet. LED lights are the best choice for either of these projects. They burn cooler, use less energy, and last a lot longer than their incandescent counterparts.
Making Holes for the Lights
Since I opted to use black-out curtains for my overhead star canopy, it was necessary to poke holes for the light to shine through. Otherwise, the dense fabric would prevent any starlight from being seen. This works to your advantage when you space your lights and there are unused lights between stars. The real trick is poking holes in the fabric in a way that they are large enough to insert a bulb, but will not continue to fray or tear larger over time. Luckily, black-out curtains have a high polyester content. Holes can easily be melted while a permanent seal is created by the heat. My wood-burning tool was perfect for the job.
Melting Holes
I heated the wood burner without any attachments. It has a very small pointy tip like that of a pencil. With a very quick, light touch, the perfect tiny hole was formed. Be very careful if you use this method. Needless to say, using high heat on fabric can be risky business. It takes a light touch and a millisecond for the hole to form. If you hold it too long, your hole will be too large, and will develop a smoking problem. 🙂 I didn’t use any set pattern for the holes. Space them to your liking, but try not to be too regular with the pattern. Stars are not evenly spaced in the beautiful night sky. I did, however, try to keep them no closer than a couple of inches apart. Spacing them too close together may compromise the integrity of the fabric.
Attaching the Lights to the Canopy
With all your tiny holes melted into place, it is time to add some star power. I found it best to position the bulb so the light element is directly above the hole. Attaching the lights is simple with the help of a hot glue gun. Simply add a tiny dot of glue to the base of each light (the thick part where it plugs into its socket) then hold it on the fabric until it cools. Of course, you will be applying all the lights on the underside of the fabric. Once your canopy is hung, all the cords and extra bulbs will be out of sight.
Attaching the Star Canopy to the Ceiling
I am fortunate in the fact that I am working with an open beamed ceiling. Also, I am creating an entire Disney-themed game room. Since this is an unconventional space, I am free to use unconventional methods for attaching things. I used a heavy-duty stapler to tack up one side of the canopy. Stapling the underside of the fabric on one side allowed all the staples to be hidden. On the other side, staple heads can be touched up with a bit of black paint matching the fabric.
Alternative Ways to Attach the Star Canopy
Realizing not everyone has the luxury of stapling a canopy to their ceiling, I want to offer some alternatives. You can build a simple lightweight frame to border the canopy and then suspend it from the ceiling using one hook on each side. I suppose you could paint a canvas black and add your lights directly to the underside. The starlight would be more muted, but I’m sure it would still be lovely.
Constructing a Star Wall Display
You certainly could hang the curtains on a wall for a beautiful display. My project required a more rigid surface for vertical lights. Our board game area is Pirates of the Caribbean-themed. I transformed an old china cabinet into a large window in the “Captains Quarters.” I’ll be sure to post more on that at a later date. 🙂 Creating a realistic night sky on the back of the cabinet required thick cardboard panels. I painted the cardboard facing flat black with some spare chalkboard paint. Using an appropriately sized drill bit, I randomly drilled holes in the backing. You want to drill the holes from the black side or you will have light rips and puckered out areas around the holes.
Attaching Lights to the Wall Display
Again, use cool white LED string lights to produce the most realistic starlight color. Position the tiny bulb element (where the light shines”) directly behind a pre-drilled hole. You do not poke the bulb through the hole. Rather, you lay the bulb on its side and tape it into place with clear packaging tape. Be sure to tape all the wires between bulbs onto the cardboard. Leave enough slack between the last bulb and your plug-in. If you need to leave a few bulbs exposed to make the cord reach the outlet, you can cover them in black electrical tape.
A Few Suggestions to Help Make Your Stars More Magical
- I highly recommend using a timer for the lights. Nothing beats the reaction at a sleepover when those beautiful stars appear as the sun is going down.
- Hang the fabric or cardboard in a backlit area as you melt or drill the holes. This way you can see the effect and spacing of stars as you go.
- Melt holes for stars in a well-ventilated area. Be sure the fabric has a high synthetic thread content.
- Don’t make the holes too large. You don’t want a bright spot in your sky on accident.
- Do make the holes too large on purpose. You can create constellations or a focal point by melting or drilling specific holes just a tiny bit larger. One drill bit size larger than the others is enough to make a difference.
- Don’t use incandescent (the old kind) string lights. You may be tempted to use an old string of lights you already own. Not a good idea. These lights get a lot hotter, a lot faster. You don’t want to melt the magic…or worse!
- Keep an eye on anything you add electric lights to. “better safe than sorry.”
I hope you enjoyed today’s Magical DIY. Be sure to bookmark this page for more Disney-inspired projects. Be my guest at the Sawdust and Cornbread YouTube Channel for weekly videos. Until next time, wish upon a star.
~Lora Lea
