Delightful Turkish Lamp Class | Voice of Lisa Brandt

Thanks to my pal Carolyn, I found myself at a mosaic lamp class on the weekend. These instructional ‘masterclasses’ to make Turkish-style lamps are very trendy and held in cities all over the country. I’ve done a mosaic pattern on a table in the past. But tables are flat and easy to manage. Gluing tiles to round glass? That’s a different animal.

The Doubletree Hilton in London hosted us. For about two-and-a-half hours, we sat in groups of eight and made our masterpieces. There was an opportunity to upgrade our lamp’s size–at a discount–but I stuck with my mini lamp. Carolyn went for a beautiful, bigger model that features a half-moon holder. A display of lit lamps helped us make our decisions. My choice was based on a lack of space for another lamp.

Supplied with Loads of Supplies

It starts with a box of supplies and a huge tray of cut tiles and beads.

Cardboard box in the foreground has Mini Mosaic Lamp DIY SET printed on it. Dozens of small bowls in the background are filled with different coloured beads and tiles.

Inside the box is everything we needed including glue, tweezers, a small spatula, patterns, and instructions. Also, the lamp base and an LED bulb. Three delightful young people talked us through the process, a little at a time. They wandered the room to make sure anyone who needed help, got it. Otherwise, they didn’t hover. They let us do our thing and chatter and enjoy ourselves.

Carolyn's gloved hand is holding a big set of plastic tweezers. She's placing a blue diamond-cut tile onto the gluey glass globe.

It’s messy, but not gross. Despite working with glue, I didn’t use the glove and tweezers like Carolyn is doing here. I preferred to place my tiles with bare fingers. But keep in mind, I had far fewer tiles to place on my wee globe!

Turkish Treat Time

They served a little cup of Turkish tea and a small, authentic Turkish treat at the halfway point. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was except that it was pleasant and contained dates. (They asked about allergies.)

My globe after the big tiles were glued on. It has a square pattern of blue tiles meeting a centered mirror tile on either side. These main designs are joined by a band of diamond tiles in copper, clear, and white. — My globe, with the main tiles applied.

Could we have purchased kits on our own and made these lamps? Maybe, although we’d never have such a wide selection of tiles and beads. The supply was endless. But, would it be as much fun? No way. Little tips and tricks that make it better are not in the instructions. The experience makes it a memory. Everyone did their own thing and some of them turned out spectacularly.

Near the end, one of the instructors walked around with a battery powered lamp base and lit up people’s globes. It’s a very forgiving art form. Globes that looked imperfect on the table were gorgeous when lit. Beads were scattered everywhere. Another good reason not to make these crafts in our own homes.

Once our creations had dried for 24 hours, it was time to add the plaster layer at home.