It is less than a week to Deepavali, arguably the biggest festival in India. Millions of people in India and around the world get set to celebrate Deepavali. Popularly known as the “Festival of Lights,” Deepavali marks the triumph of good over evil and is celebrated by the lighting of lamps, bursting of firecrackers, and exchanging of sweets and gifts.

It is also a time when one sees creative rangoli patterns, thorans or door hangings and diyas all around. This Deepavali, even you can create the right ambience in your home with some of these easy do-it-yourself, kid-friendly, noise-less, decorations that would instantly light up your home to and make it truly a festival of lights.

1. Colorful light bottles

Remove the label of any glass bottle using a hair dryer or hot water. You can line the bottom of the bottle with goli/pearls for added effect. Insert strings of fairy lights into the bottle. Some drill holes at the bottom of the bottle to let the plus wire through, though this step depends on your comfort.

2. DIY Deepavali Gift Bowls

This Deepavali gift sweets packed in these recycled papier-mache bowls made out of scraps of newspaper, handmade paper and fabric.

You will need:

1. A bowl shaped mold
2. Newspaper/ fabric scraps
3. Glue (similar to crafty glue/ Fevicol)
4. Paint brushes for glue and paint
5. A bowl of water
6. A suitable board for pasting your paper
7. Paint or paper for decorating

Method:

1. Tear the sheet into strips as you work. Make sure that you overlap each strip and smooth out any air bubbles. Completely cover the mold with a pasted layer of paper. Continue covering the mold with strips of paper. Alternate between colors of paper if possible.
2. Once you have done 5-6 pasted layers place the mold in a warm place to dry. This can take a few hours to a couple of days depending on where you leave your mold. Once the paper is completely dry remove it from the mold.
3. Peel off any loose pieces of paper from the inside of the bowl. The first layer was not glued on so it would ideally just peel off.
4. You can finish the bowl as it is. Paste the inside and outside of the bowl with P.V.A glue (not mandatory) to seal any loose strips of paper, leave to dry

3. DIY Deepavali Thoran/ door hangings

Torans or buntings as they are called are usually placed at the entrance of a house to welcome the guests and they clearly set the festive mood right. Traditionally the torans are created with mango or coconut leaves but nowadays the market is full of plastic junk.

This being the wedding season, you will have tons of wedding cards at home, use those papers with cardboards to create these torans. Cut them into triangles or simple flag shape, and glue the broader ends to a satin ribbon / twine.

4. Candles from Orange Peels

This is innovation at its best! Not only do you get to eat yummy oranges but also create beautiful decorative candles from its peel.

What you need:

1. 8-10 large oranges
2. Beeswax to make candles
3. Thick cotton wick
4. Wick Holders

How to make it:

1.  Remove the fruit part from the orange and cut the peel is a zigzag manner
2. Melt the beeswax using a double boiler
3.  Put the wicker into the wicker holder and close it using a plier
4. Now dip the wicker in the melting wax to and then drip the melting wax into the orange peel to make sure the wicker holder is secured at the bottom of the peel.
5. To make sure the wicker doesn’t drown in the wax, secure it with a pencil.