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Freebie Pendant Made from Junk in Storage

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I think this title is deceiving.  This might not be free for other people….but for a hoarder like me that has decades of stuff jammed into her house, this was free as free can be.  In fact, I could probably make four of these without spending a dime.  Yeah.  I got junk problems.  Both in the trunk and in storage.

So here’s my light fixture issue…

In our ‘mud room’ which is actually nothing like a mud room except it has a few hooks, we have a very traditional looking boob light.  It’s got an ornate ring and some fancy glass….but a boob is still a boob…no matter how fancy.  And this fancy boob wasn’t for me.  I already have plenty of those 🙂

So I got to thinking about a new light and I figured that a bunch of scraps glued together would do the trick.

I started out with two large embroidery rings.  You may remember that I have hoops out the wazoo.

So I laid out my first hoop and evenly spaced out some shims…

Okay…now here comes the fun part….how do you attach shims (which are basically just low grade wood) to an embroidery hoop (a craft supply)?  Why hot glue of course 🙂

I would just apply a tiny bit to the fat end of the shim and then push it into the hoop in an upright position until the glue dried.

After a bit of time, it started looking more like a shade…

Then after they were all upright and in position, I attached the other embroidery hoop on the opposite side.

A couple of the shims were a tiny bit longer than others, so I would just trim them with an x-acto knife.

Then I took the whole thing outside and used a little spray primer.  The primer really made the rough bits more obvious.  A little sanding block took care of that.

Then I used a bit of leftover plywood (it was super thin) and jigsawed a top (also glued that on with hot glue).  And drilled a hole in the very center.  The entire thing got two coats of semi-gloss paint.

Now that the shade part is complete, it was time to wire it up.  I had one of these old Ikea light kits (I also have a spare one in black) and I have no idea why I have them.  I think I had them for something in the old house.  I think.

Okay…so first we had to remove our fancy boob…the one with the fancy nipple…I just said nipple….you’re welcome…

Then Jeremy used wire clippers (I almost just typed nail clippers…which is not the appropriate tool) to slice off the plug-in part of the light kit.

We also had one of these canopy kits.  Also storage find…

And Jeremy wired the thing up.

Will wrote out ‘structions’….they actually look more informative than Ikea’s directions.

There was quite a bit of wire trimming that had to be done but if you had extra tall ceilings, this would be a perfect cheap route for wiring a light.

And it worked!  It’s definitely not our long term fix but for zero dollahs, it definitely works for now.  I am thinking that maybe something like this would be awesome here…but it’s $349.  That’s a big difference than $0.

My apologies on the cruddy iphone pics.  The camera was still in the shop 🙂

The good news is…it actually sheds more light than the old boob.  And both Jeremy and I agree that a pendant is really the way to go in this space.  Since our ceilings are so tall, it’s nice to have something more substantial up there.

 

I would like to switch out the bulb for one of those Edison style bulbs…so in the end, this quick fix might cost us $7.

So if you were to try to make this at home, you would need two embroidery hoops, a package of shims, scrap plywood, some paint and primer, a lighting kit and hot glue.   I wanna say that my mom has all of those things in her purse right now.  She’s always prepared 🙂

Not to shabby for a quickie light update, right?  I really need to have a yard sale so that I can get rid of the junk in my house…but then again, the hoarding makes for inexpensive crafts…so maybe not.  Sorry Jer 🙂

 

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Comments

  2. Wow. That is a huge transformation! I don’t love the lines it makes on the walls, but you really can’t beat the improvement over the old ‘shade’ at that price.

  3. I like it a lot! I was house stalking the million dollar houses on Trulia the other day (because that is totally my price range) and I saw a light fixture very similar to this I want to make. Only their shims curved….hmmm Your version is much easier!

  5. Wow, I can’t believe you just whipped that up! It gives me some confidence to try some things around my house. Your inventiveness and creativity is always inspiring.

  7. I like this as a quick, we got too many boobs get rid of it, light. However, I’m pretty sure you could make that dream light of yours instead of shelling out the $349…for sure you’ve got something in the basement, right?

    Seriously…maybe chicken wire? I don’t know, but I think YOU could.

  9. Wow Katie, this looks awesome! I would totally leave it as a permanent solution once you get the new bulb.

  11. This turned out great. That C&B lamp you like is also sweet. I can see you DIYing a similar style pendant with an old egg basket or something like that. Now I’ll have to keep an eye out at all the auctions and estate sales we go to!

  15. That’s so neat! A word of warning though, we have an Edison-style bulb in our laundry room and it doesn’t put out nearly enough light, as least for me! If you like darker rooms it might not be bad 🙂

  17. Cool project! I love me some shims. I bet if you used a cool-touch, LED light bulb, you could line the inside of the shade with rice paper (tissue paper even) and help filter the glow. Just a thought!

  19. This is such a good idea! I think I might have to tackle this until I decide what I want to put in our entryway. Right now, we have all builder grade lights. Blah!

  21. Much better than the boob! Isn’t it amazing how much stuff can accumulate over time? I just hate when you know you bought something but can’t find it so you buy another, only to then find the original stashed in a “safe” place.

  22. Super cute! I totally agree that a pendant is the way to go in that space. I once made a very cute pendant by hot gluing together styrofoam cups. True story.

  25. My kind of project. 1 hr gratification.
    Try a clear bulb, not the white one. It will use the same wattage but put off a little more light.
    I have two big oval hoops just lying around….

  32. Reasons like this is why I love being a hoarder! Looks good and its free!

    Why do you have so many embroidery hoops?

    Also, this post makes me curious of how you shop. Like I have lots of things because I usually just grab extra of whatever I’m buying and things like that. I’m always interested about other ‘hoarders’ habits.

  33. You could probably DIY that $349 Hoyne pendant light with another pendant light kit and some ORB’ed chicken wire.

  34. I love it. I think I have most of the required components and I know just where I want to put it!

  36. I love the dream light fixture…but its $517.90AUD for me to buy! Haha, think I’ll give it a miss! 🙂

  38. Since I have such an aversion to boob lights, I love this. Of course, since I love all things metal, I probably would have spray painted it with that hammered metal paint. Unfortunately, I am not crafty whatsoever, but I appreciate it when someone makes something out of nothing. I also love the light it bounces around. A pendant is definitely the way to go. Nice work!

  39. Looks awesome…now I have to tell you about a little trip to the depot the other night. Our house went on the market and sold in less than 24 hrs (insert groaning noises) and I have this fancy smancy chandelier that was a combo wedding/anniversary present that we picked up in New Orleans that was excluded from the sale of the house. We needed to pick up a light fixture to go where the chandelier is hanging and my husband looks up and points to a light and says “something like that?”. Me, Mr. H.Depot man look up and I exclaim “NO, I don’t want to put a boob light up in the dining room”. APPARENTLY I was the only one in 5 rows who had ever used that term because you would have thought I said nipple too!! No worries….now Mr. H. Depot will be referring to them as boob lights too!!! 🙂

  40. I love it! It makes such a big impact in the space. It looks like an old fashioned, bushel basket. I wish I had your storage stash to play with, though I may try it myself as shims and hoops aren’t all that expensive. My ceilings are not as tall, but I think it would love fab even cut down quite a bit. I might even line mine with some vellum to hide the bulb.

  44. I’m not going to lie… At the beginning of this post, I was thinking you were completely bananas and no way was that going to end up being cute.

    But by the end, it was clear I was wrong. It is quite cute.

  45. Hi Katie! Just a heads-up–we replaced an HE bulb with an Edison because I thought it looked better. It did–until it was dark outside. The Edison bulb gave a pitiful amount of light. So bummed! Maybe it will work better for you. Good luck!

  46. I almost died when I scrolled to the picture of you doing the robot while wearing 100 embroidery hoops. The light is fantastic and I love that it was totally free! Well done.

  47. They were all bundled together for one price at Goodwill! I use them all the time for various things (weird I know) but it really was a good buy 🙂
    xo – kb

  48. I have looked and looked for an orb like that! And you know me…we don’t have a lot of HomeGoods out here in the country so if it’s not at Home Depot or Lowes or Walmart…I’m usually out of luck 🙁
    xo – kb

  50. I noticed that too with our kitchen light…three bulbs but it’s so low lighting. Maybe I am not buying the right kind.
    xo – kb

  51. That has been a popular suggestion! I just don’t know how I would get the chicken wire to be a round shape…something to brainstorm!
    xo – kb

  52. I love that one but I would think that it would be too easy to knock-off. I’m so cheap that I would attempt that first. I do love their globe lantern though…that one needs to go in another room in our house pronto.
    xo – kb

  53. I love that wire globe – that one needs to go in our sitting room off our master like yesterday. It probably would be overkill to have it in two places 🙁 And the other one is not quite what I am looking for in this space. I’ll have to text Sherry and see if she is adding any more to the collection any time soon 🙂
    xo – kb

  54. I’m just wondering is this fireproof/heatproof? Glue, wood, paint + close proximity to heat = fire. I’m from the UK and this kind of thing is drummed into us and I’m an electrician’s daughter!! Love your blog – my husband was enthralled by your exterior painting project!

  60. I guess I should read other comments before writing the SAME suggestion! Enjoy your free DIY until the right pendant shows up!

  62. LOL about the “boobs” and junk in the trunk. I love the look of your fixture – it really does look like an old bushel basket or something similar. I’d leave it and just find a bulb you love. I think the Edison bulbs look great but they don’t put out much light – you might try one of the flame looking shaped regular bulbs in that in a slightly softer wattage. It does feel really good to take stuff that has been laying around and make it “something”. 🙂

  63. They are really similar! I am getting Sherry & John’s version for a different space and I thought it would be overkill to have two of the same light. Maybe that’s just me though…
    xo – kb

  65. I’m not going to lie, at first I questioned you on this. I didn’t have your vision. But I am so glad that you proved me wrong. It turned out great!

  66. Katie you are amazing. I love the creativity for making your own pendant! I really want to try this (except for the top using a custom cut piece of plexiglass or other translucent material so the light can shine up a bit…) to get rid of all the boob lights on my own ceilings. (We have a ridiculous amount!)

    And I had a little bit of ceiling envy when I realized your hallway has a BARREL VAULT! So pretty. 🙂

  67. Katie. Seriously? I’m obsessed with this. We need to be best friends so your on-the-fly ideas can wear off on me. Sorry Sher-dog… I’ll share.

  73. Oh my gosh I love it! I enjoy being creative and making my own crafty little items myself and I am so glad to see that I am not alone. 🙂 Also, I think its hysterical that you call them “boob lights”! I always thought the same thing!

  74. I think it looks terrific, Katie! I must admit that I laughed myself silly over your comment about the Ikea instructions — so funny!

  75. All lights/lightbulbs/heat sources should be used with caution. We did a lot of research and felt comfortable with it because it has a lot of ventilation for the heat and the light kit is at least three inches from the wood.
    xo – kb

  77. I think it looks great. Not sure what it looks like “in person” but in photos it looks as good to me as some of the pricey pendants I’ve seen. It’s sort of a unique take on a barrel shade pendant. Total win, if you ask me. And you SURE can’t beat the price! 😀

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