Wednesday, October 16, 2013

{DIY wooden bead light fixture}

yes i know, long time no see
I am going to use the same excuse I use almost every post,... life has just been busy! 
I think i've officially become a "once a month" blogger
Thats about all the time i can squeeze in anymore! 
but hey, 
I have a really fun post for you today
One that i have been so excited about posting for quite some time! 
We have finally begun working on Mr. Liam's nursery 
with less than 6 weeks until our due date, i guess you could say we are a bit behind
but, i realized after our first pregnancy, I put so much work into our daughters room
& she wasn't even in there until she was almost 6 months old
So this time,  we're taking our time, & trying not to stress about all the little project we want to do
Just taking it one day & one project at a time

This project though, is one i couldn't put off for very long
If you follow me on pinterest, you have probably seen me "Pin" this image about a hundred times
I kept pinning it because i didn't want to chance losing the link! 
But anyways, this light fixture is from a company called CAMP.
I Love ALL of their products, especially this light fixture! 
But I just couldn't bring myself to pay the $200 price tag, i mean come on, we are a young couple with one kid & another on the way.. $200 for a light fixture is just out of the question!

So
I took a good hard look at it & decided i could figure out how to recreate it for a fraction of the price
I recreated this lamp for $40
Here is my tutorial :) 
You will need:
paint
paint brushes
a pendant light fixture
a drill & drill bit
wooden bead balls 
Light bulb
First, drill holes in the wooden beads. They come pre drilled, but i needed the holes to be a bit bigger.
I used some pliers to hold the wooden bead in place while i drilled. 
Next, set up your paint station
Next, paint the wooden beads your chosen colors. 
I put the drilled beads  on a golf tee so they could dry easily without getting messed up. 
Plus, since my husband is a golfer, we have TONS of them all over the house.
Let them sit & dry
Now its time to put the wooden beads on the light fixture. 
This light fixture is not the one i have in the first picture of needed supplies. 
The one in the first picture is one i bought from home depot & ended up not liking.
This one in these last pictures is the one i ended up finishing the project with.
I loved the vintage feel :) 
 But anyways, to thread the beads on, you first need to take the top part with the plate off, then slide the beads onto the cord. Then replace the plate back on the cord before hanging. 
Last but not least, its time to hang your new light fixture! 
I had my husband & brother in law do that part, i didn't want to mess with the electrical stuff. 
I made this light fixture for about $40
much better than $200 :) 
I'm crazy about this light fixture, it turned out perfect! & since i made it rather than buying it, i was able to change it up a bit & add a few different colors. 
It was a fun & easy project. MUCH easier than the light project i did for Giuliana's room 
Just 5 1/2 weeks until we meet our little man, & we couldn't be more excited!
We had an ultrasound the other day & the Dr said Liam is head down, which might sound like a simple piece of information, but for us, it is big exciting news! 
Our little Giuliana never went head down, & ended up getting stuck in the birth canal in breech position. I ended up having to have a c-section for safety reasons, {Read more here &  here}  So the fact that he is head down is an answer to prayers. I am still planning on doing a VBAC! & as weird as it may sound, I am very excited to be able to have the chance to have a normal birth experience. 
We have another ultrasound in 2 weeks because, well, I'm 34 weeks & Liam's head & body are that of a 36 week baby! He weighs almost 6 pounds already! Big boy! 
So our Dr is saying there is a chance he may be earlier than we thought! Crazy! 
Keep us in your thoughts & prayers these next few weeks as we prepare for the arrival of our sweet baby boy :) 

Happy wednesday & happy crafting!  :) 

7 comments:

  1. You look cute! Hopefully he stays head down and you can have your VBAC. I love the light fixture!

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  2. This is so cute! I love that you were able to make it for a fraction of the price! I've been stressing over getting our nursery ready, and every time I try to do something we get stuck. Furniture parts are broken, we need a different tool, etc. I'm encouraged to take it a bit slower and just enjoy it.

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  3. I love this idea, thanks for sharing! And you are super cute :) Can you tell me where you bought the print that's above Liam's crib?

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    1. Hello! The print is from an online shop called Sarah Jane studios. The print is called "walk with me".. I think haha check it out! I love all of her prints, they are beautiful xo

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    2. Oops it's called "take me for a walk". I was close ;)

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  4. What a great lighting hack! By doing it yourself, you can pick the bead colors to go with your existing decor.... love it.

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  5. Hey Ashley, Kiri again, loved this project so much so I featured it on my October pendant best-of. Check it out - http://www.ilikethatlamp.com/pendant-lamp-roundup-october-2013/

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