Plates and Points

Will Mornick & Ellen Settele from Family Life Community Church in Bangor, PA brings us this paper plate design with small points of light between each bit.

Budget: Under $100

Materials:

• 10 2”x4”x96” stud
• 2 4’x8’ Plywood*
• 48 2.5” screw
• 16 1.5” screw
• 1 gal Black paint, flat
• 120 paper plate, assorted color
• 2 set Christmas lights, white, 200 ct.

*They had the Plywood cut into 4’X4′ pieces for transportation (in a PT Cruiser). If you have access to a truck, you can use the full sheet of plywood; this will allow you to use 5 studs, 16 2.5″ screws, and 12 1.5″ screws (3 braces per plywood).

Tools:

• Paintbrush
• Drop cloth
• Hot Glue gun with glue
• Drill with bit
• Chalk line
• Tape measure
• Circular saw
• Paint can opener
• Sharpie

Lighting:

• 4 Chauvet ColorRails
• 1 Altman Ellipsoidal
• 2 set Christmas Lights, Clear, 200 ct.
• 1 Elation Dimmer Pack
• 1 StageSetter 8
• 1 DMX Terminator
• 3 10’ DMX Cable
• 1 25’ DMX Cable

They started by creating a 9” chalk grid on the plywood and drilled the intersecting lines. The hole was large enough to firmly hold a small Christmas light bulb.

Next they created the braces by cutting 8 of the studs into 4’ pieces. The remaining 2 studs were cut into 2’ pieces with a 45 degree angle on each end. The 4’ studs were attached to one another with 2 2.5 inch screws, forming an “L”. Next, they attached the 2’ stud for added support.

Once the braces were completed, the plywood was attached to the front using 8 1.5” screws and painted. When dried, clear Christmas lights were inserted, from the back, into each hole and plugged into a dimmer pack.

Then they added the paper plates with a dab of hot glue. They chose to apply their plates in a random color pattern.

Finally, in keeping with their theme, “Growing in Grace”, they decided to incorporate the GRACE letters from their previous stage design. They dressed the letters with some yellow berries and lit the letters with an Altman ellipsoidal fixture; closing the shutters so only the GRACE letters were lit; while the back wall was washed with 4 Chauvet ColorRails.