Our Hallway Metal Light

The new paint job was a catalyst for me.  It is like when you are working out and then all of a sudden, your jam comes through your earbuds and you all of a sudden have a giant burst of energy.  You get a surge.  A rush of blood to those achy joints and tired muscles.  You become, dun-dun-duh! BIONIC!  WOMAN!….spinning that elliptical at the speed of light….like a room full of people are watching and admiring your hundred-mile-an-hour glutes.  That has never personally happened to me….but I can imagine.  I am cape-ready per se.  And the new hue on the walls was just the energy drink our house needed.  It got me moving on getting some of these rooms done!

You remember my list?  Well here she blows…

#1 – PLAYROOM

• Sew simple curtain shades with playful fabric
• Get prints into the frames
• Add some storage for crafts or figure out how to get them out of there
• Purchase and install kid friendly light fixture (ooooh shopping!)

#2 – GUEST ROOM

• Build shelves for prints 
• Hang mirror
• Build valance for window
• Hang crap on walls

#3  – THE BIG BOYS ROOM   (SEE REVEAL HERE)

• Paint ceiling 
• Paint walls 
• Sew curtains 
• Paint & attach bed slats
• Make headboards
• Hang mirror
• Hang shelves
• Hang more stuff on walls

#4 – THE LAUNDRY ROOM

• Finish sanding & sealing countertops
• Cut sink hole
• Install sink & faucet
• Build clothing slide-out basket thingie
• Tile backsplash
• Install hanging rod
• Install drying rack
• Hang more stuff on walls

#5 – THE DINING ROOM

• Build giant-bootie storage unit
• Purchase more carpet tiles
• Buy two head chairs
• Build wine storage
• Clear out random furniture
• Decorate it up

#6 – THE OFFICE

• Replace curtains (maybe my sister would want the current ones?)
• Buy rug
• Organize fabrics better (purge? gift? get sewing?)

#7 – THE BASEMENT KITCHEN

• Paint trim and ceiling 
• Install lighting
• Install cabinets
• Install hardware & drawer liners
• Make permanent counters with concrete
• Tile/install backsplash
• Install shelves
• Paint walls

#8 – THE DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM

• Remove sink and toilet and tile
• Retile floor
• Reinstall toilet
• Plank nook behind vanity
• Install vanity
• Install new light/fan

You can see I haven’t made as much progress as I hoped this year.  BUT painting the living room wasn’t on the docket and although it is the shot of adrenaline that my to-do-list needed, that did throw a wrench in the timeline.  The playroom is what I am focusing on right now.   GET.  IT.  DONE.  That is what I say to myself all the time.  Just one room at a time.  GET.  IT.  DONE.

The light in the playroom needed to be replaced.  It was the capiz one from my old house and as much as I love it, it isn’t exactly kid-friendly.  (you can see it here!).  The goal was to buy a kid friendly light.  My jam right now is metal (it’s harder for them to break but I wouldn’t put it past Weston to try!) and I found this beauty at World Market.  At first I thought it would be perfect….but then once it arrived, it looked a little heavy for the room.  I decided that I did still love it and the solution to the issue would be to put the metal one in the hall and then the homemade white one in the playroom.  It solves all the issues!

The white one that was previously in the hall put off a decent amount of light but always looked too small and too homemade for the hallway anyway.

I love the homemade vibe in the playroom though!

Jeremy removed the white one while I dreamed about chocolate.  You don’t have to admit it but it’s a universal truth…we all dream about sweets when others are working.

The electrical in here is a little complicated (two separate light switches control the same light fixture) and we do a lot of our own electrical.  Jeremy learned all the ins and outs by starting with this book.

The problem with the new metal light fixture was that the chain was WAY too long for this hallway.  I mean…it would have fit in the foyer nicely and it is great for the people that might need a longer fixture but for us, it was extreme.  At first we considered swaging the chain but then we decided against it and knew that cutting it and reattaching it would be the only way to go.  We used metal shears to cut a chain loop about 18 inches from the top and then removed the segment we needed and then reattached it to the top threaded bolt with a bent chain loop (the chain loop right next to the threaded bolt isn’t welded together so you can bend it apart with pliers!).  Jeremy cut the wire, stripped the sheathing, and then I reattached the connector that was clamped onto the green wire.  After that, it is ready to go.

After wiring it back to the outlet, it was ready to go!

Don’t you like Jeremy’s solution to “too heavy light fixture that needs to be wired to the ceiling”?  At first, he asked me if I would stand there holding that dang thing.  Thank goodness he found a solution because I have zero upper body strength.  Also zero lower body strength.  Basically I am a limp french fry  

And here is the final product!  Doesn’t the new one look so smart!?  I love how it picks up the metal on the laundry room door.

Here it is at night….looking all swag with it’s five bulbs and the design on the ceiling

And Jeremy also installed the white one into the playroom!  That is coming up in the playroom post with the new addition I got from the thrift store.  It’s pretty noisy and it’s also something I am so excited about for the boys.  No mom…I’m not pregnant again.  Legit question though

SO what do you think?!  Don’t you love it?!  It’s so SOOO much better.  Jeremy and I both were like….dude that is so much better than the free pendant built from scraps…..and the price was decent too….I used a discount code and got it shipped for $125.  Not too shabby.  I think we both are discovering that this house is worth investing in….we just have to find the things that we both love and then pull the trigger.