Pimp your MOPPE: Lightbox2

Materials: MOPPE

Description: My old MOPPE has quadratic drawers what makes it especially good to build lightboxes from it.

Step-by-step manual

1. You need a bulb-holder. (Be careful, don't take too strong bulbs, not more than 25 watt. I assume no liability.) Depending on the radius of your bulb-holder you have to modify the grip hole (with the help of a reciprocating saw, or a coping saw).

2. Saw slits into the bottom of the drawers. It helps to drill first one hole in each corner, so you can place your saw blade in the right position. Next: Polish the slits with a sandpaper.

3. Now you have to choose your favorite color for your Lightbox. You can paint, varnish or bond the MOPPE with paperboard (just like me). My favorite glue for this job is "Fixogum". It's not that cheap but it works really fine.

4. Finally put the bulb-holder through the grip hole (I saw it convex, so that the bulb-holder cannot slip out of the hole) and screw the bulb into the holder.

The light looks great as a standard lamp on a sideboard. If you like to use it as a wall light, screw it through the bulb-holder onto the wall or nail a little hook on the back and hang it up.

See more of the Moppe lightboxes.

~ Isabelle Koch, Germany

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Pimp your MOPPE: Corpuslight

Materials: MOPPE

Description: My old MOPPEs corpus is especially good to build a standard lamp from it.

Step-by-step manual

1. First print a stencil for the light-holes.

2. Then drill out the holes. Take a drill with a small diameter.

3. Now you have to choose your favorite color for your Corpuslight. I overcoated the inside with white varnish (don't forget to tape the edges) and the outside with wood-colored (wenge) varnish.

4. In the next step install a bulb-holder inside the MOPPE (I pulled a nylon-twine through two holes an the bulb-holder). Be careful, don't take too strong bulbs, not more than 25 watt. I assume no liability.

5. Finally bond transparent paper over the two big slits (I fixed it with tape). You can bend the transparent paper easily. In this way you avoid wrinkles and the light gets a soft character. Its also possible to use colored transparent paper or (colored) foil.

See more of the Moppe Corpuslight.

~ Isabelle Koch, Germany

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MOPPE Magazine Rack

Materials: 1 large drawer from Moppe mini chest of drawers, Saw, Tacks, Sandpaper, Paint, Drill, Screws and Rawl Plugs

Description: My husband had been wanting a magazine rack for the downstairs toilet for ages, I'd been looking for something to hack but with no luck. One day he pulled the front off the large drawer from a set of Moppe mini drawers that had been used in the shed for a few years and had become a bit swollen with damp. I thought to myself I could hack the drawer to make a rack!!

Step 1 - Cut the joints from the ends of 1 long side of the drawer. Sand the edges.

Step 2 - Place the long side panel into the short side panels but across the top edge. Tack into place.

Step 3 - Slide out the base and drill 2 holes in the panel you've just attached so it can be screwed into the wall.

Step 4 - Paint your rack and let it dry.

Step 5 - With the base still removed, mark where you want to put it, drill and attach to the wall.

Step 6 - Slide in the base panel.

~ Caroline Scott, Northumberland, UK

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Moppe Card Catalog Jewelry Box

Materials: Moppe Drawers, Craft paint in black and burnt umber, Crackle medium, Light grey paint (we used Analytical Grey by Sherwin Williams), Paint brush, Metal ruler or scraper, Sandpaper, Adhesive metal bookplate (Martha Stewart), Handles (we used these from Lee Valley), Lint free white cloth/rag, Natural and Dark Finishing Paste Wax, Ink pen

Description: 1. Paint each drawer front and the main unit with a thin coat of black paint. Let dry. You just want enough to show through when you distress the drawers.
2. Randomly paint with the burnt umber. Let dry. This just adds some interest to the distressing.
3. Using a large brush with large sweeping motions brush the crackle medium all over. Let dry.

4. Now paint over the crackle with the grey paint. Let dry.
5. Distress. Using a metal ruler or scraper, roughly chip off paint where desired. Using sandpaper, sand edges.
6. Using a clean rag randomly rub dark wax in a few places. Then using the natural wax, wax the entire piece.
7. Drill holes and screw a handle to each drawer.
8. Remove adhesive backing and attach bookplates to each drawer. Add labels ... and voila!

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~ Shannon @ aka design, Ontario, Canada

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