Light it up

I have a floor lamp that I love.  It was a cheap find from Target about 8 years ago.  Well, two years ago, it gave up the ghost.  I turned it on one night and sparks were flying and the circuit blew.

It's been sitting in the corner just looking pretty but pretty much useless.  I decided I either needed to dump it or fix it.  Dumping it seemed like a waste because I really like it.

Thanks to You Tube, I got up the courage to rewire the light.  Forgive me for not taking pictures of every step, I was really into it and when it was done, it was then that I realized I hadn't taken a single picture.  I will walk you through the steps anyways. So, here's the lamp.  Nice lines and shape. The shape is tricky because it was so hard to pull the old wire through all those curves and even harder to squeeze the wire back in and around the curves. Removing the old wire and getting the new wire in was so hardest part.

 The original lamp had a very special kind of socket that I couldn't find anywhere so I had to improvise with one I found at ACE Hardware.  It works, a little bulky but the shade covers it up.

 Along with all the wiring, I had to change the switch as well.  Again, I had to choose a different style than the original.

 Finally, I cut the plug off the original cord and spliced it together with the new wire.  It looks a little bulky but since it is typically plugged in behind the couch, it's not a big deal.

 When it was done, Voila...Light!  I am so happy to have a working lamp once again!

So, here are some of the tools you will need for rewiring and some tips. 

2 Wire lamp wire

Lamp socket

Plug

Switch

Screwdriver

It's really easy if you keep in mind a few things.  On a 2 wire cord, one of the wires is hot and the other is neutral.  So, how do you know which one is which? Well, if you look closely at the wire, you will see that one side of the wire has small ribs  on it and the other side is smooth.  The side with the ribs is the neutral side, the smooth side is hot.  Once you have that figured out, it's a piece of cake.

First, remove the old wire and replace with the new wire.  Separate the two wires from the housing about 2 " up and strip each wire about 1".  I then wired the socket, wrapping each wire around the screws on the socket and tightening the screw down around the wire.

The switch came next.  My switch is about 2 feet from the plug and it came with really easy instructions.

If you buy a wire with the plug attached, you are done.  If not, you will then need to wire on the plug.  Again, just remember to attach the hot wires to each other and the neutral wires to each other.  I wrapped this connection in electrical tape.

I have always been scared of any thing involving electricity but this was such an easy project, I'm fired up!  I have a lamp in my room that keeps shorting out so that is my next project!  Next time around, I will take step by step, this was just a warm up!  So, stay tuned.

Mercury Glass

I love the look of Mercury Glass but, it's expensive and hard to find. It adds just the right amount of sparkle and it's classy looking. 

  I'm sure you've seen or heard of this product, Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint. 

You can work wonders with a few dollar store pieces.  I bought some round, glass rose bud vases.  They were just a dollar.  I started with spraying the inside of the vase with the Looking Glass paint.  It dries fairly quickly.  Once dry, I sprayed it with a little watered down black paint and vinegar.  The vinegar is an acid and takes off some of the paint which is what you want to have happen. After it sits and runs for 5 minutes, blot it out with a paper towel.  It will take off parts of the paint.  Here is where you can move the paint to customize the darkened areas.  Don't worry if you take too much off, you can always repaint it.  I actually ended up spraying about three layers of the Looking Glass paint on it with vinegar spritzes in between the dried layers.  It adds a little more depth than just one layer.

Once I had the negative space just the way I wanted, I then lightly rubbed black acrylic paint on the inside then let it dry. 

This was the finished project!  I love the way it turned out. 

Below is the location for my new project- the kitchen window.  It felt cluttered with random quart jars filled with change, gum and other random items the kids drop in them.  There was also a tin box where I stashed lotion, sink scrubbers and dish soap.  Then, there was a jar of dishwasher detergent. Too much randomness.

Here's the windowsill with the new mercury glass on it.  I love the clean look!! Just love it. 

Office Chair Remodel

Finally, a little DIY!!!  I loved this project and it's one I've been planning to do for a year at least.  I have this little black office chair.  It's pretty much ugly and I am pretty much sick of looking at it. 

So...I decided to do something about it.  I rummaged through my fabric scraps and found my favorite fabric of all time!  Well, at least it's been a favorite for the past year or so!  The problem is, I didn't have enough of it to cover the chair.  Being the creative gal that I try to be, I decided that piecing it together could work.  

We'll get back to the piecing part.  First of all, I had to disassemble the chair.  Not hard at all and only consisted of a few screws. 

I left the original upholstery on just because.  Okay, honestly, because I was too lazy to rip it off.  I only had about 30 min to fit this project in so I was racing against the clock.   I laid the chair seat down on the fabric and pulled the sides to the back.  I like to put one staple in the center of all four sides, pulling tight.  This way, as you start to staple around the edges, things stay straight and in line.

 Start on one side and start pulling up the fabric until it's tight and staple about an inch from the edge of the seat.  Just work your way around the edges and use the very same technique for the chair back.

 Assemble all the parts and pieces and Voila!! It's like a brand new chair!  Oh ya, you can see on the seat cushion how there is a strip of fabric coming down the center.  That is the detail to hide the parts that I had to piece together.  Obviously, it's not ideal but it works for me and goes well in my little loft office.

I know it's been awhile since I posted a sweet DIY but I have lots coming up such as...Mercury glass!  I finally tried it and loved it!!!  I also did a little ceramic project that only cost me a dollar, bringing a broken lamp back to life with a little re-wiring and re-finishing some old Mall furniture!  Stay tuned!

Laundry Rooms

My motto as an Interior Designer is "Everything at the place of first use."  So, you should keep and store things where they are used.

For example, sheets should be stored in the bedroom by the bed they belong on.  Toilet paper should be  in very close proximity to the toilet, not down the hall stuffed in the back of a cluttered linen closet, or worse, down in the storage room in the basement!

I'm wondering, should this rule apply to laundry rooms?

Lately, I've been designing a host of homes with more than one laundry room.  The biggest trend I am seeing is a laundry room in the Master Bathroom or Master closet, one in the mudroom (especially if the owner is in construction or farming) and one by the kids rooms, generally in the basement or on the second floor.

What do you think?  Too many?  Would it be hard to stay on track and keep up with all the laundry? Would you misplace more socks than you already do?

Here are some of my favorite laundry rooms...

Photo via Canadian House and Home

Photo via Askousa.com

Photo via Electrolux

Photo via slim69.com

As you can see, the trend is clean and simple and that look is best achieved with an under the counter model.  The full size stack-able model is becoming really popular are well.

Photo via Majestic Homes and Remodeling

What do you think?  Do you ever wish you had more than one laundry room?  Visit me on Facebook and tell me what you think  Here.. For more great ideas on how to spruce up that laundry room, check out my Pinterest board.

Snow man Wreath

We are getting down to just a few more Christmas gifts.  Today is the snowman wreath.  I love books, I love vintage and I love anything resembling a misfit so that's why I really love these little guys! 

 I have several old vintage poetry books so I tore out some pages and cut a nice round circle.  On one circle, freehand an orange carrot nose for the snowman.

 Next, I took two rounds and zig zagged around the edges, leaving just about an inch open to add the stuffing.   Add just a small amount of stuffing to give it a little dimension, then sew up the opening with the same zig zag stitch. After all the sewing is done, glue two button eyes above the nose using a hot glue gun. I love to mismatch the buttons.

 Using a wire wreath and some burlap, weave the strips of burlap in and out of the wire form until it is covered. 

With your finished snowmen, glue them around the wreath and add a burlap bow.

These little snowman are so cute.  It was fun to see their personalities emerge when the button eyes went on.  I actually like these better as little ornaments rather than on a wreath.  If you don't have vintage books, you can use magazine or newspaper too!

Decorated Hand Towels- Christmas Gifts 7

I love bar mop towels!  I love them in the kitchen because when your dishcloths get dirty, you can bleach them and they always look as good as new.  For $2, you can get a set of two bar mop towels.  They are a great size for a hand towel.  I don't have a step by step for this gift but it's easy.  

I chose my favorite cotton fabric and decided how wide I wanted the ruffle.  For these towels, I did a double ruffle.  The top one is about 1 1/2" wide and the bottom ruffle is 3" wide.  Instead of cutting them, I simply tore them from salvage to salvage.  

Using a loose tension and a long stitch, I gathered them up on my machine then placed them on the bar mop towel towards the end and sewed them into place.  So easy!!  

They are going to look so nice hanging in the powder bath!

Bag clips- Christmas gifts 6

Christmas crafts seriously don't get any easier than this!  At first, you may think this is the lamest thing on earth to give as a gift but think again...they are so useful and would make a fun little stocking stuffer.  Seriously, bag clips are those things you just never think of to go out and buy but when you have them, you love them!

Start with a bag of clothes pins!  You get hundreds for next to nothing.

 Once again, choose your favorite scrapbook papers and cut two or each size.  You will end up with one piece longer than the other because you don't want to glue over the small wire piece.

 Modge Podge the pieces on and once they are dry, add a couple more layers of Modge Podge to the top.  Voila!!  The cutest bag clips ever!!