So, I bought this large lighted snowflake decoration at the local big box store to hang on the front of the house. Once I took it out of the box and hung it on the front of the house, it looked a bit cheesy. Then, I plugged it in, and half the lights didn’t work. It felt flimsy and cheaply made, and it was more than $60.
Of course, if you know me, you know my first thought in a situation like this is:
“Can I fix it?”
The answer to that is almost never “No”. If the answer is “Yes, but you really REALLY shouldn’t”, then my next thought is naturally:
“Can I just make something myself? Yes!”
I didn’t much like the snowflake anyway, so I decided to go simpler and make a star, and I made it out of materials I already had on hand.
These projects always start with graph paper on a clipboard. 
Star Plan and Measurements 
Random lengths of spare copper pipe I had laying around 
Measuring pipe 
Cutting pipe 
Soldering flux is necessary 
Had to solder together some shorter pieces 
Crimping the ends flat 
Crimped end 
Drilled a hole through all crimped ends 
Pop rivet ready to go 
Riveting the ends together 
Riveted. 
Star shaped! 
Stainless steel wire on the points where the pipes cross to add rigidity. 
Put it in the vise. 
Start hanging lights on it. 
Hung the lights on with more stainless steel wire. 
100 lights, ready to go. 
It’s alive!
