DIY Diwali Diya

The earthen oil diya is most important thing for the festival of lights( Diwali). Diya is an oil lamp, usually made from clay, with a cotton wick dipped in vegetable oil or ghee(clarified butter). They are native of India and are lighted for all festivals and auspicious occasions.

The process might sound tedious but as a kid, I always loved doing it and after lightening them it looks beautiful and festive.

Lately, we use candles for multiple reasons but the authentic feel diyas give cannot be replaced. If you are living outside India, the price and supply might limit the use of these traditional lamps.

So today,  for my Diwali – Series 8, I have something to share where you don’t have to compromise on using the traditional ones and still remain within budget 🙂

Aren’t they beautiful? And yes, you are right, they are pot saucers. Don’t they almost look like the ones we get in India. And the best part is you can get multiple sizes and yet pay less.

The large ones can be found @ nursery section of any home improvement store for 60c-80c. I got mine @ Lowes during sale. The small one’s are from hobby lobby or can be found at any craft store(Jo ann/Micheals)  for  $1.50 (6 pieces) with 40% off coupon.

The other thing I enjoyed as kid is soaking them in water. It was fun watching the changing colors as they soak water, air bubbles popping from the diyas and the earthy smell 🙂

Soak for 30 minutes and dry. To paint them use regular or metallic acrylic paints and to further decorate you can use sequins/beads/ or any other embellishments. I love the combination of natural terra-cotta and colors.

For few saucers, I used painters tape to create design. They dry within an hour and don’t need lot of tools.

You can light them up with oil and cotton wicks and they look like traditional clay lamps 🙂

Cheers!

See you in my next post.