Lights for the poor

I found these 'Mariposas' whilst I was looking for some candles in my local mini supermarket. They were at the back of the shelf, hidden by boxes of matches and candles. They must have been there for years, but they're in perfect original condition. The truth is they should be in a museum of Spain's past because Mariposas are lights for the very poor.

I'd heard about these lights from my old neighbour who used them until 2002, despite having electric lights. They're handmade from a thin slice of wine cork, coloured paper and a wick dipped in wax. They're used by floating them on old oil or pork fat, and lighting the wick.

I gave one a try last night, and using modern lamp oil it worked a treat!

Outside lighting with Spanish tiles

Creating good lighting isn't difficult and needn't be expensive, but it does require a little thought before fixing the light source. The outside area of this house below is lit entirely using pierced roof tiles like the ones in the first photograph.

The tiles cost just cents to buy and are made out of terracotta that's easy to drill and cut. The lighting can be adjusted by drilling more holes or cutting a line, whatever is prefered.

Roof tile lights

I think it looks good! The contrast is pleasing and there's enough light to show the form of the house against the night sky, it looks like stage lighting.

Yes, I did dive in.