The round-bellied bulb everybody draws when they draw a Christmas light, with a ridged screw cap on top and a small circle in the cap for the string. Six to an A4 sheet at the size it opens on, each about 53mm wide and 84mm tall, which is the right size for a garland across a window or a classroom wall.
What people make with it
- A paper light garland: cut six or twelve, colour them, punch the caps and thread them onto string or wool.
- A classroom display where each child colours one bulb and writes their name down it.
- Gift tags, since the cap already has a hole and the belly takes a name.
- A countdown chain, with one bulb per day and a date on each.
The cap is the detail that sells it
The screw cap is drawn with a ridged edge rather than a plain rectangle, which is the one detail that makes a paper shape read as a bulb rather than as a balloon. It is also the strongest part of the cut shape, so it takes a hole punch without tearing.
The outline is a single closed line from cap to belly, so there is one continuous cut per bulb with no interior shapes to pick out with the point of a blade.
Sizes and card
The size control gives Large, Medium and Small. Small is where it opens and puts six on a sheet. Medium drops to two and Large to one bulb about 122mm by 194mm, which suits a display piece rather than a garland.
Colour before cutting, every time. A bulb is a fiddly shape to hold while a felt tip is being pushed across it, and on paper the shape buckles. 160gsm card holds its shape on a string for the whole of December.
Questions
- How many light bulbs are on a sheet?
- Six at the size it opens on, each about 53mm wide and 84mm tall. The size control also gives two to a sheet at medium, or a single bulb filling the page at large.
- Is there a hole for the string?
- Yes. A small circle is drawn on the ridged screw cap of every bulb. Punch or pierce it rather than cutting it out, and the cap is strong enough to hold a thread without splitting.
- Can children colour them in?
- Yes, and it is much easier to colour before cutting out. The belly of the bulb is one large open shape, so a crayon or a felt tip covers it quickly with no narrow gaps to work round.
- What can I use them for besides a garland?
- Gift tags, since the cap already has a hole and the belly takes a name. Also a classroom display with a name on each bulb, or a paper chain counting off the days of December.